No. 16 Penn State at Temple: Game Preview

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The Nittany Lions look to build off their successful start in the first road game of the season.

Penn State (1-0) vs. Temple (1-0)

Kickoff: Noon, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA

The Betting Line: Penn State -23.5 (Fanduel)

TV: ESPN2, Noon, Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst), Morgan Uber (sideline)

Weather: A warm, overcast afternoon with a high of 83 and little chance of rain.

COACHES:

Matt Campbell:

PENN STATE RECORD: 1-0, 1st Year

OVERALL RECORD: 108-70, 15th Year

VS. TEMPLE: 0-0

K.C. Keeler:

TEMPLE RECORD: 6-7, 2nd Year

OVERALL RECORD: 277-119-1

VS. PENN STATE: 0-0

FUN FACTS

Penn State leads Temple 40-4-1 in the all-time series…Temple is Penn State’s sixth-most common opponent…Penn State is the only team in the nation to record shutouts in six consecutive seasons following the 45-0 victory in week one…the Nittany Lions recorded their first shutout victory in a season opener since defeating Akron 52-0 in 2017.

TEMPLE OFFENSE VS. PENN STATE DEFENSE

The Owls are using two quarterbacks with former Penn Stater Jaxson Smolik and Ajani Sheppard, formerly of Rutgers, under center. Smolik had a better day passing, connecting on 4-of-6 attempts for 57 passing yards and a touchdown, although he also had two fumbles. Sheppard finished just 5-of-10 for 85 yards.

Whoever is in the game will be handing off regularly to Keveun Mason, who finished with 158 rushing yards and two scores. He also contributed two catches for 34 yards.

Temple will be without its starting left tackle, with two other starters listed as questionable. This could be a major development for Saturday, as a banged up Owls offensive line would likely struggle against the Penn State front seven.

The Nittany Lions defense exceeded expectations by shutting out Marshall in week one. Marshall had difficulty getting plays off the ground, as Penn State was relentless in both the run and pass. If you enjoy swarming, aggressive defense, you are likely to enjoy what defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn has in store for this season.

Tony Rojas led the team with six tackles and a sack despite playing limited snaps as he recovers from an injury that cost him most of 2025. He is likely going to continue limiting snaps until the start of conference play on September 26 against Wisconsin. Caleb Bacon earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors in his first game after being moved from linebacker to defensive end. Bacon had five tackles, four TFLs and a sack and made his way into the backfield on just about every snap he was on the field.

PENN STATE OFFENSE VS. TEMPLE DEFENSE

Rocco Becht looked every bit like the nation’s most experienced quarterback in his first game with the Nittany Lions. Becht looked comfortable in the pocket and in complete control of the offense. He set a career-high of four touchdown passes, with no interceptions, while completing 13-of-18 attempts for 271 yards.

Perhaps the highlight of week one was the involvement of the wide receivers, which was nearly non-existent over the last few seasons. Koby Howard had the breakout game that had long been desired, with 161 receiving yards and a score on six catches. This was a huge sign of progress for Howard, who only had 133 receiving yards in all of 2025. Brett Eskildsen, Ben Brahmer, and Zay Robinson also had touchdown catches, as nine different Nittany Lions had at least one reception.

Carson Hansen is likely to remain as the starter at running back after leading the team with 48 yards, although Quinton Martin Jr. made a strong statement with his performance in the second half. Cam Wallace also impressed in the second half, and could be fighting for carries throughout the season.

Temple was able to produce two pick-sixes to help them run away from Rhode Island, 38-14, in week one. Linebacker Curly Ordonez led the way for the Owls with eight tackles.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Some of the key special teams questions were answered in week one. Nathan Tiyce, an Aussie-style kicker who transfered from Mississippi State, will be the starting punter. He performed well in week one, averaging 43.3 yards on four attempts, including one downed at the one-yard line. He nearly had another attempt downed inside the five, but one attempt just barely rolled into the end zone before it could be covered.

Redshirt freshman Zay Robinson handled both kick and punt return duties in week one. His sole kickoff return went for 34 yards, while he averaged 13.7 yards on his three punt returns. Robinson showed some impressive burst and wiggle, and seems to be the answer as the primary return man.

Temple returns Carl Hardin at kicker, who was 11-of-14 with a long of 52 yards in 2025. He was was 1-of-2 in week one, with the miss coming from over 50 yards. Senior punter Dante Atton is a four-year starter with a big leg capable of making regular 60-plus yard attempts when given room.

PREDICTION

Penn State-48, Temple-7

I was tempted to predict a closer game since things almost seemed to go too well in the week over blowout over Marshall. However, I do not see an automatic dropoff based on what we witnessed last week, even if it will be the first road game of the season. Penn State played such a clean game on both sides of the ball, which is particularly impressive when you consider there are 60 new faces on the roster. There were few mistakes or even missed opportunities. It’s apparent this is a disciplined team that plays hard and understands their roles.

I also don’t have much confidence in Temple providing much of a fight after needing most of the game to pull away from FCS Rhode Island. The Nittany Lions will show up for business, and have a similar output to week one where they pull ahead by halftime and get some reps for everyone down the depth chart.

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