Here it is, the year of the Owls. Everyone in the state of Pennsylvania is talking about this match-up, which is pretty sad considering that Pitt plays Miami tonight in a prime time game. What's also sad is that this is the most intriguing match-up this weekend in Big Ten competition. Let me tell you something, a lot of people are picking the upset in this one.
There's a lot of talk surrounding this game, that this will be Al Golden's year to finally beat his Alma Mater and former coach. This will be the first time that Temple has defeated Penn State under a Joe Paterno coached team, moving the series to 26-1, in Penn State's favor. Bernard Pierce, Temple's All-MAC running-back will truly make a case for his chance at a Heisman run, and Adrian Robinson will wreak havoc all over our offensive line.
There's only one thing consistent about the above paragraph, that it is all talk. As for Temple, they have developed into a very respectable program under Al Golden, and yes this is his best team during his tenure. They are a very athletic team that is coming into this match-up 3-0, with nothing to lose and everything to gain. They have a great ground game on the offensive side of the ball and a very athletic defense that flies all over the field. Do they have a chance to pull the upset? Absolutely they do, but will they really beat Penn State this year?
I don't think so.
Make your case based on whatever hype articles you have read for this match-up, include the speculation, but when its all said and done they just don't match up well against this Penn State team. Yeah, they are 3-0 and coming into this match-up with a respectable team, but they really have not been as impressive as everyone makes them out to be. They beat Villanova (2009 FCS Champions) by a TD, Central Michigan by a FG, and their most impressive win was a 30-16 win over UConn.
Everyone is hyping Bernard Pierce, who had a very impressive freshman campaign rushing the ball, but he only has one 100+ yard game this season, which was against UConn. Their QB is a fantastic athlete, but he moves the ball down the field with a short passing game, with very minimal shots down the field, and lets his playmakers do the most of the work for him. Again, try not to put too much stock into the game against UConn because they were not who we thought they were.
As for the game itself and the match-ups, I'm going to just keep it simple and list the following:
PSU Passing Game vs. Temple Secondary
Temple has somewhat of an experienced secondary with only one underclassmen starting as a defensive back and Bolden lately has been trying to force some throws. This is where an X factor comes in, which is the size and experience of our receivers. If the game plan exposes these match-ups look for Bolden to throw for at least 200 yards again, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was a pick in there. In the end, Bolden throws for 250+ yards and 2 TDs.
PSU O-Line/RB vs. Temple Front Seven
Temple possesses a great pass rusher in Adrian Robinson, who will push Quinn Barham throughout the duration of the entire game. However, I would be very surprised to see us give up a sack to Temple throughout this game because other than Robinson, they have had trouble dialing up pressure against opposing QBs all year. I am also expecting a little more continuity on the O-Line on Penn State's behalf as Troutman has secured his spot at Left Guard. I also expect Royster to have somewhat of a breakout game, but I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't get more than ten carries. If that's the situation, try not to panic because JoePa rarely uses his feature backs til Big Ten Play. In the end, I'm going to say that Bolden gets some hurries, but no sacks and Royster has his first 100+ yard game of the year.
Temple Passing Attack vs. Penn State's secondary
While Penn State's secondary is very physical, I would expect Temple's short passing game to have some success moving the ball down the field against our defense. They like to find the soft spot in zones and we like to keep the receivers in front of us, which is a combination for success for the passing game. I still think that we have better athletes on this side of the ball and their QB has not been much of a threat throwing the ball, so I would expect at least one interception. In the end, I'm going to say that they have success in spurts moving the ball down the field, but never too much damage. By the game's end, I would expect our pass defense to improve by getting another pick and holding their passing game to sub 175 yards.
Temple's O-line/Ground Game vs. Penn State's Front Seven
Now this is the area that worries me a little bit. Temple has some size on the O-line as the smallest guy on their line checks in at 312. They also have a sound and physical running back in Bernard Pierce, and we all saw how much a physical ground game can affect our defense. In order for Penn State to win this match-up they are going to have to wrap up and prevent Pierce from churning out extra yards after contact. I do believe the experience and depth on our defensive will help throughout the game. In the end, I would expect most of Temple's damage to be done on the ground, as they have a very mobile QB and Pierce at RB. Expect the defense to contain them, but by the end Pierce will have 80 yards plus or minus 8, and a TD.
Special Teams
Both teams have electrifying return men that have the capability to go the distance, and Temple's return man in Matt Brown is actually averaging close to 21 yards per return. But the difference here will be Anthony Fera's ability to kick it out of the back of the end zone as he has already tallied 7 touch backs through three games. It will also be interesting to see how Devon Smith and Justin Brown fare against Temple's punt unit as they are only allowing 1.8 yards per return on the year. In the end, I see their punt unit wearing down and allowing for Smith or Brown to return a couple for at least 15+ yards. On the other side of the ball, I say Brown takes one out of their end for a good 30+ yards, but nothing more than a scare.
What to Look For:
- Bolden to have a better game and limit the interceptions and for the coaches to open it up for more than just the first quarter.
-Royster to hit the hole hard and early and show why he is still the feature back, but keep your expectations in check, as JoePa is still looking for him to get ready for Big Ten Play.
-Silas Redd to get his first TD of the season
- Penn State's defense records at least 3 sacks on the day
- Lynn to get his second interception of the season
- Pierce to make some good runs that strikes fear in the hearts of some PSU fans.
- The offense to try and get the run game going a little more as this is our last tune-up before Big Ten Play.
- Thomas and Morris to rotate a little more at the DB position as Morris is still rehabbing that foot injury from the Alabama game.
- Dailey to get some more playing time at the Hero spot, spelling Astorino as he nurses that sore shoulder.
- Al Golden to be wearing a shirt and tie and rumors have it that he might be rolling up his khakis for this one.
- This to be the only interesting game in the Big Ten this weekend.
-JoePa to get one win closer to 400 for his career.
Final Score
PSU 31- 13 Temple
WE ARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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