Temple Falls Short, 34-27, at Penn State

Saturday, September 17

Beaver Stadium - State College, Pa.

12:00 p.m.

Temple University

1-2

Penn State

2-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Temple

Penn State

Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University

Temple Falls Short, 34-27, at Penn State

9.17.16 | Football

Box Score Final Stats Matt Rhule Press Conference Game Action Gallery Pre-Game Gallery

By: Jim Sullivan

STATE COLLEGE – Despite a resilient defensive effort and a late offensive surge, Temple fell short in its first road challenge, suffering a close 34-27 loss at the hands of rival Penn State in front of a crowd of 100,420 at Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Owls, who battled from behind throughout the entire matchup, closed the score to within a single possession on their final drive, but an inopportune turnover snuffed out the possibility for the comeback.

Throughout the first few drives, quick strikes from both quarterbacks signaled a shootout between the Pennsylvania rivals was underway, but a combination of defensive pressure and constant penalties soon slowed down both offenses.

Senior QB Phillip Walker and his unit struggled in the first half, but managed to put together multiple scoring possessions in the second, compiling 286 passing yards on 25-of-34 with a rushing touchdown and interception.

The early Owls' spark came behind the efforts of redshirt senior WR Romond Deloatch, who grabbed a career-long 67-yard reception on the initial play of the second drive. With the defense reeling, Temple set up RB Jahad Thomas with his first carry and touchdown of the season on an eight-yard sweep a play later.

The rushing score moved Thomas up to fifth all-time on Temple's career touchdown list, a boost for the senior after sitting out the first two games of the year with a hand injury. He finished the day with 14 carries for 52 yards with two touchdowns along with six receptions for 48 yards.

The Penn State offense similarly gave Temple early issues, finding the endzone on two of its first three possessions and jumping out to a quick seven-point lead. Nittany Lion QB Trace McSorley opened the scoring on Penn State's second drive, finding a wide-open WR Chris Godwin on a deep 52-yard bomb down midfield.

Even with a timely turnover deep in Owl territory to start the second quarter, the defense continued to struggle containing McSorley, watching the sophomore expand the Nittany Lion edge to 21-7 with his first rushing touchdown of the year. Redshirt senior Praise Martin-Oguike forced the Penn State fumble inside the Temple red zone, pushing his career total to nine - an NCAA best among active players.

Two consecutive unproductive Temple drives plagued the defensive stamina late during the first half, as Penn State's offense continued to dominate overall snaps (43-25) and time-of-possession (17:32-12:26). The Owls were held to a trio of three-and-outs versus Penn State's none in the initial two quarters, constantly forcing the defense to take the field with little to no rest.

With just 38 seconds remaining and the ball spotted on the Owl 20-yard line, though, Walker and the offense suddenly sprang to life. An up-tempo six-play, 52-yard possession allowed junior PK Austin Jones to close the halftime deficit, drilling a 45-yard field goal with relative ease.

Sophomore DB Delvon Randall snared an interception off McSorley inside the Nittany Lion red zone late in the third quarter, electrifying a period that had only seen a Penn State field goal thus far. The turnover spurred the Owls' offense, which capped the short scoring drive with Walker leaping into the endzone on a fourth-and-goal conversion.

The shift in momentum jumpstarted the exhausted defense, bending under another McSorley air raid, but again allowing only a field goal, giving Penn State a 27-17 advantage early in the fourth quarter. The stalled drive, one of many throughout the game, came due to the efforts of redshirt senior Haason Reddick, who concluded the match with seven total tackles and a career-high three tackles-for-loss.

A stalled drive on the ensuing Temple possession was quickly rectified on special teams, as punter Alex Staryzk's line drive ricocheted off a Nittany Lion blocker, bounced down to the Penn State one-yard line and was promptly recovered by the Owls.

Thomas, once again, came through on a sweep play in the red zone, striding in for a touchdown on a third-and-goal to cut the lead down to a field goal margin midway through the final period.

Penn State star RB Saquon Barkley, who had been relatively contained up until this point, responded in kind just three plays later, outpacing defenders on a 55-yard burst up the middle to restore the 10-point Nittany Lion edge. The Owls pushed back to within a possession courtesy of a second Jones field goal, this time from 34 yards out, sailed through the uprights with just 2:10 remaining.

After a failed onside kick and Penn State three-and-out, Temple managed to take over deep in their own territory. On the second play of the possession, though, Walker took a shot while in his throwing motion, resulting in a game-ending Nittany Lion interception.

With the defeat, Temple falls to a 1-2 (0-0 American) mark on the season. Next up, the Owls host their homecoming game against visiting Charlotte, who dropped a 37-3 decision to Temple last year in North Carolina.

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