Temple Football Stuns With 27-10 Win Over Penn State
Temple University had not won a football game against Penn State University since October 18, 1941. Well, today that date is history .
Cherry and white covered the stands at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday for the Temple Owls season opener against Penn State University.
It only took eight plays and 53 yards for Penn State to score the first points of the game with a successful 34-yard field goal by Joey Julius leaving the score at 3-0.
The Owls took possession at the 20-yard line and were unable to convert before sending out the punting unit.
A 42-yard rush by Akeel Lynch gave the Nittany Lions a touchdown and another Julius field goal was good putting seven more points on the board for Penn State.
After a few possession switches, both teams did not make any other big plays before the end of the quarter.
The Owls trailed Penn State as they headed into the second quarter of the game 7-0.
The second quarter started out with Temple continuing their drive but after 6 plays for 26 yards, the offense was forced to punt.
Penn State’s next possession ended after a quick four plays, with a strong Temple defense holding them back.
Owl’s quarterback P.J. Walker took the ball back at the 39-yard line but was sacked forcing a fumble that was recovered by Penn State’s Torrence Brown.
Temple’s defense was able to stall Penn State after the fumble and send the ball back down to their 7-yard line.
Finally, it was Temple’s time. An explosive offense entered the field and they never looked back.
2:28 remaining in the half was more than enough time for Temple to get back their momentum. A 31-yard run by Jahad Thomas put Temple at third-and-goal. A quick pitch by quarterback Walker to Thomas sent him straight into the end zone for a touchdown.
Both teams headed into the locker room with a close score of 10-7.
Determined to make a comeback, the Owls came back to start the half stronger than before.
After a Penn State three-and-out, Temple started their second possession of the quarter and a quick pass to Kip Patton for 20 yards gave them a first down. The drive ended with a 40-yard field goal from Austin Jones making it a tied game.
Temple’s defense was uninterested in giving Penn State anymore yardage as they lost 10 yards on their next drive followed by an interception on the next.
Nittany Lions quarterback Christian Hackenberg’s pass was picked off by Sharif Finch who ran 26 yards before being pushed out of bounds. Immediately following the play, Walker rushed for 1-yard, giving the Owls a touchdown and their first lead of the game.
Heading into the fourth and final quarter of the game, Temple’s defense was unstoppable and the offense was a force to be reckoned with. The Owl’s first drive of the quarter ended in a 24-yard touchdown by Thomas.
The score was 24-10 with 11:08 remaining in the game.
Penn State was unable to answer thanks to a sack by Jacob Martin for a loss of 5 yards. A 37-yard punt put the ball right back in Temple territory.
Walker completed a few passes but did not make it down the field far enough, forcing the Owls to settle for a field goal. Jones completed another good field goal from the 30-yard line and the score was 27-10 with 5:33 left to play.
You could feel the energy from the Temple defense as they entered the field with hopes of shutting down Penn State’s offense one last time.
Fortunately, they were able to hold the defense to only 18 yards and there was another sack on Hackenberg by Temple’s defensive lineman, Matt Ioannidis.
Temple’s next possession was full of a lot of rush plays but they were stopped by the Penn State defense, compelling a punt.
Penn State’s last drive of the game and last chance to put any more points on the board came to a quick halt after two sacks on Hackenberg, one by linebacker Tyler Matakevich and the other by defensive end Nate D. Smith.
Temple won their first game against Penn State in 74 years at their home stadium 27-10. The Owls made history in front of a sold-out crowd of 69,176 .