It was the passing attack that the Owls secondary knew would be their first true test of the season that was ultimately too much to recover from, as Temple tallied their second loss of the season at the hands of Penn State. The final was 34-27 at Beaver Stadium, and the Owls stuck around until the very end.
Head Coach Matt Rhule drops his record to 1-2 all time against his alma mater. // Credit: csnphilly.com
Following taking some flak after last week’s loss against Pitt, PSU freshman QB Trace Mcsorley showed fans he belongs in Beaver Stadium. Mcsorley threw for 171 yards and a touchdown, also running in a score, in the first half alone. He ended with 287 yards on 18/24 passing, and aside from a head scratching interception that set up a Temple touchdown, Mcsorley had his way with the Temple secondary.
Scoring was opened up with a Mcsorley touchdown over the middle to Chris Godwin for 52 yards with 9:52 remaining in the first quarter. Godwin played outstanding, racking in 117 yards on 7 catches and that touchdown.
Temple’s offense then wasted no time, and Phillip Walker found Romond Deloatch in the middle of the field for a 67 yard catch and run on first down. Jahad Thomas, who returned to game action for the first time this season, took hid first carry of the season 8 yards and evened the score at 7. Walker made outstanding throws all afternoon, especially down the stretch, as he finished with 286 yards on 25/34 passing.
Penn State’s offense managed over 400 total yards on Saturday, and Saquon Barkley ran for his longest run from scrimmage on the season (55 yards). // Credit: pennlive.com
For the remainder of the first half, Penn State controlled the pace and TOP, running 42 plays- taking up 17:34. They went into the half scoring 2 more touchdowns- both on the ground, one from Mcsorley and the other by Penn State’s 3rd tailback to see the game, Andre Robinson. Robinson was in for Saquon Barkley, as Barkley was shaken up and missed almost the entire second quarter. Aside from a 55 yard rush to win the game for Penn State in the 4th quarter, Barkley rushed for 10 yards on 8 carries. Temple ran just 26 plays in the half, taking up 12:26.
A 45 yard field goal from Austin Jones with :04 to go in the first half was the icing on a terrific drive from the Owls offense, who got the ball with :45 on the clock, and drove 56 yards with no timeouts. Heading into halftime, Penn State led 21-10.
The second half started with a 3rd and 1 stuff from the Nittany Lion defense that sprung 100,000+ fans to their feet. The Penn State offense then ran with the momentum and hit a 40-yard field goal that extended their lead to 24-10.
The Owls wouldn’t go away, and practically ran the show in the second half.
Phillip Walker seemed to make all the right decisions Saturday, and ultimately couldn’t put enough points on the board to take down Penn State. // Credit: pennlive.com
Delvon Randall made 2 incredible plays down the stretch to keep the cherry and white alive. He sealed his second interception in two weeks that set up a Phillip Walker rushing touchdown on 4th and 1 to make it 24-17, then recovered a muffed punt on the 1 yard line that set up another Jahad Thomas touchdown. Thomas led the Owls in rushing with 52 yards, as well as receiving, with 6 catches for 48 yards.
With a PSU field goal between Randall’s plays, the score was 27-24 with 8:10 remaining in the game.
Just when the Owls were looking to take their first lead of the game trailing by just 3, Saquon Barkley reminded everyone why he’s one of the top backs in the country. Previously silent with just 10 rush yards in the game, the sophomore bursts 55 yards for a touchdown, making three Temple defenders look silly on the way. It took less than a minute for Penn State to extend their lead to 10.
The rush ultimately sealed the deal, as Penn State’s defense held strong with the remaining 7:20, holding Temple to a field goal then recovering Temple’s onside kick.
Temple will be back at home for their homecoming matchup against Charlotte next saturday.
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