It’s another matchup between Keystone State schools on the week 3 college football schedule. The Temple Owls travel within the state to face the Penn State Nittany Lions in non-conference action Saturday afternoon. The game kicks off at 12 pm ET from Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. National television coverage is provided for the contest on the Big Ten Network. The current odds have Penn State favored by 8.5 points with the over/under set at 52 points in this contest.
Temple bounced back from their season opening loss by trouncing FCS school Stony Brook 38-0 last weekend. Penn State attempted to rally but lost 42-39 at Pitt last Saturday. This is the 45th all-time meeting between the schools. Penn State dominates the series, holding a 39-4-1 edge. Temple won the last meeting, 27-10, at home last season for their first win over the Nittany Lions since 1941.
Temple took a 28-0 halftime lead and kept Stony Brook off the scoreboard to even its record. It was the Owls’ defense doing the heavy lifting in the game. Temple limited Stony Brook to 133 yards of offense and seven first downs in the game. The Seawolves didn’t get any closer than the Temple 18 yard line and that came at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Temple’s defense and special teams forced four turnovers, which the offense managed to convert into 10 points. The Owls turned it over twice on downs and finished with just 301 yards of offense.
The Owls need more offensive production than they’ve put up the first two weeks. Temple averages 276.5 yards of offense per game. That won’t win a ton of games, even with a solid defense. Phillip Walker has hit only 23 of 49 passes for 292 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions this season. Ryquell Armstead leads Temple in the ground game with 30 carries for 125 yards and two scores. As a team, the Owls average 3.9 yards per carry this season. Keith Kirkwood has caught seven passes for a team high 89 yards plus two scores. Adonis Jennings (five catches, 49 yards) and Marshall Ellick (four receptions, 46 yards) are the only other players with more than two catches. Austin Jones hit all six extra points and three field goal attempts with a long of 41 yards.
Penn State fell behind 28-7 in the second quarter and attempted to rally only to fall short. The Nittany Lions cut the lead to three with five minutes to play and had a shot to tie or win the game. With the ball on the Pitt 31 with over a minute to play, Trace McSorley was picked off in the end zone to seal the defeat. That was the last of four Penn State turnovers on the day. The Nittany Lions battled, finishing the game losing the total yardage 432-406. The time of possession took a toll as well: Penn State allowed Pitt to hold the ball for 35:29 in the contest.
The Nittany Lions are putting up 379 yards of offense and 36 points a game this season. The Nittany Lions have to cut down on turnovers in order to be effective. McSorley completed 40 of 66 passes for 541 yards with three touchdowns and an interception in his first two starts. Saquon Barkley leads Penn State with 190 yards and five touchdowns on 42 carries this season. The rest of the team has combined for just 29 yards on 27 carries. That knocks Penn State’s yard per carry average down to 3.2 this season. Chris Godwin (103 yards) has a team high 11 receptions while DaeSean Hamilton (91 yards, TD) is right behind him with 10 grabs. Mike Gesicki contributes seven catches for 96 yards plus a score. Tyler Davis drilled all seven extra points and three field goal attempts with a long of 38 yards.
Temple was a great team in the AAC last season but the Owls lost some key personnel to graduation. The Owls need better quarterback play and to develop some capable receivers in order to move the chains. Temple can’t rely solely on their defense for success. Penn State is a tough team with character. The Nittany Lions are motivated to avenge last season’s loss that snapped a 31 game win streak in the series. Playing at home on a weekend that they honor the 1966 team is a motivator for the Nittany Lions. Penn State bounces back from last week’s defeat to get the win by double digits. For more free college football picks, check us out each and every week!
The Owls are 2-6 ATS in their last eight after a straight up win of at least 20 points.