Penn State Football Heavy Favorites Over Temple In Week 2

The second week of Penn State football kicks off at a place familiar to many Penn Staters in southeastern Pennsylvania, Lincoln Financial Field.
The Temple Owls will host the Nittany Lions on Saturday, September 12, at noon, in the same stadium where the Eagles play the following day. The Owls, 1-0 on the season, defeated Rhode Island and their backup quarterback, 38-14 last Saturday.
Temple ran a two-quarterback offense, though favoring the run game, as Keveun Mason delivered 158 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns.
Penn State opens as favorites for Saturday’s contest by 24.5 points, the same line assigned to them before Marshall. However, this week’s moneyline is more favorable towards the Nittany Lions at -3200, or +1400 for the Owls, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The over/under line is set at 49.5.
Ninety-eight percent of bettors have taken Penn State’s moneyline, and following last week’s cover of 24.5 points, 83% have taken the Nittany Lions to cover this Saturday again.
In this Pennsylvania showdown, Penn State has a 40-4-1 record, including the most recent matchup in 2016 at Beaver Stadium. However, Temple’s most recent win against Penn State — and only one of the 21st century — was at Lincoln Financial Field in 2015, when the Owls won 27-10 on the backs of a ferocious pass rush, finishing with 10 sacks on Christian Hackenberg.
Notably, the Owls will be down their starting left tackle in this matchup after picking up an injury against Rhode Island. Quarterbacks Ajani Sheppard and Jaxon Smolik totaled 16 passing attempts for 142 yards, while their running backs racked up 45 touches.
Penn State has jumped to No. 16 in the AP Poll and to +5000 to win the National Championship following its dominant first week. Before the Marshall game, Penn State’s odds were +6500, among the likes of Michigan, which have now dropped to +7000, Florida, and USC, whose odds have not changed.
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