No. 16 Penn State football (2-0) defeated Temple (1-1) 27-9 on Saturday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field.

It was an ugly first half for the Nittany Lions, who converted just two of their seven third and fourth-down conversions and went into the locker room with an underwhelming10-3 lead, but Rocco Becht and the offense settled in to put up 27 unanswered points late into the fourth quarter.

How It Happened

Temple sent the opening kickoff out of the back of the end zone, setting up the Nittany Lions offense at the 20-yard line. Rocco Becht wasted no time finding Koby Howard for a 56-yard strike on the first play from scrimmage.

After a fresh set of downs at Temple’s nine-yard line, Penn State’s offense sputtered, sending Ryan Barker out for a 33-yard field goal attempt. Surprisingly, the highly dependable kicker missed wide left, giving Temple the ball at their own 20-yard line, but a pair of tackles from Tony Roajs and an incomplete throw by Jaxson Smolik forced a speedy three-and-out.

Robinson took his first return of the day for 19 yards up to Temple’s 44-yard line. The Nittany Lions then began their second drive of the day with a three-yard rush by Carson Hansen, but an incomplete pass intended for Howard forced Penn State into a 3rd-and-7, where Becht was taken down in the open field by Curly Ordonez.

A well-executed punt by Nathan Tiyce was downed by Audavion Collins to pin the Owls inside their own five-yard line. Temple moved the ball on the ground with carries of one, five, and four yards, but Rojas made them regret putting the ball in the air, picking off Smolik and returning it to the five-yard line.

The slow start on the ground continued for the blue & white, after three straight carries mustered up just three yards. On 4th-and-2, Beccht couldn’t connect with Andrew Rappleyea on a shallow crossing route, resulting in another empty possession.

Temple continued to find success running the football, carving out gains of nine, 10, and a 47-yard read option by the eyebrow-raisingly fast Smolik. Yvan Kemajou stole some momentum back for Penn State after sacking Smolik, but the junior bounced back with a quick throw to Peter Clarke to move the chains.

After another pair of carries for 13 yards, Penn State dropped its anchor with tackles from Alex Tatsch and Siale Taupaki to force third down. Ajani Sheppard entered the game at quarterback for Temple, but sailed his throw on a quick slant, forcing the Owls to settle for three points off the leg of Carl Hardin.

Hansen finally got downhill for a seven-yard gain. On the next play, Becht laid a perfect ball out for Chase Sowell, who beat his man deep, but the Temple cornerback recovered just enough to strip the ball out before Sowell secured the score. Hansen picked up nine yards on each of his next two carries to move the Nittany Lions into the red zone, but a false start scooted them back to the 22.

On third down, Becht settled for a short check-down to Hansen, bringing out Barker, who redeemed himself from 31 yards out and evened the score at 3-3.

To begin their drive, Temple caught Rojas sleeping on a run-pass option for a gain of 15 yards. An illegal chop block by Zach Aamland yanked the Owls into a 3rd-and-21, where Smolik gave the Penn State defense a scare, slipping out of the pocket after evading multiple defenders, but Jeremiah Cooper was able to corral him to force a punt.

With under two minutes to go in the second quarter, Becht connected with Sowell and Robinson on back-to-back out routes for 12 and eight yards, respectively. Shortly after, Peoples was sprung by strong blocks from Trevor Buhr and Brock Riker, awkwardly hurdling a defender in the open field for a gain of 12. With 18 seconds left, Becht found Benjamin Brahmer over the middle for an easy score. Barker nailed the extra point to put Penn State up 10-3.

TOUCHDOWN BENJAMIN BRAHMER!

ROCCO BECHT ZIPS ONE TO HIS TIGHT END FOR A 23-YARD SCORE!! pic.twitter.com/rs3A1egmfZ

— Onward State (@OnwardState) September 12, 2026

The Owls received the rock to begin the second half, and Smolik picked up where he left off, scrambling for a 15-yard gain. On the next play, Mason broke free for 22 yards to move the Owls into Penn State territory. After two no-gainers, Collins strapped Temple’s Jayce Freeman in coverage, forcing a 52-yard field goal that was blocked by Daryus Dixson.

Becht opened Penn State’s second-half slate with consecutive completions to Howard and Sowell. Becht and Sowell hooked up again to move the chains. After upping the tempo, Becht threaded a dime to Brahmer, but the senior let it slip through his mitts, bringing it to 3rd-and-6. On the crucial conversion opportunity, Becht whipped a screen to Sowell, who rode a wave of blockers untouched into the end zone for a 16-yard score. Barker’s extra point attempt extended Penn State’s lead to 17-3.

Chase Sowell takes the screen pass to the HOUSE for Penn State!!

Penn State 17, Temple 3 pic.twitter.com/b5C0o9MAuW

— Onward State (@OnwardState) September 12, 2026

The momentum scales began to further tip toward Penn State after its defense forced a three-and-out, but a penalty on tight end Finn Furmanek wiped out an 18-yard Sowell grab and put the Nittany Lions behind the chains. On 3rd-and-15, Becht hung in the pocket and zipped a ball to Robinson for a 22-yard gain. The veteran signal-caller stayed hot with a 20-yard completion to Brahmer, but the drive fizzled out after a false start was called on Rappleyea on 3rd-and-three, resulting in a 39-yard field goal by Barker to make it a 20-3 game.

After the blue & white defense forced Temple into another third down, Zion Tracy stuck to Colin Chase in coverage to bring out the punt team.

While scrambling, Becht got plastered out-of-bounds by former Penn State safety Kolin Dinkins, sparking a tussle that saw starting offensive linemen Anthony Donkoh and Cooper Cousins jaw at Dinkins. The 15-yard penalty moved Penn State up to the 30, and shortly after, Becht got his lick back, finding a wide-open Brahmer for a walk-in 23-yard score to put the Nittany Lions up 27-3 with just under eight minutes left in the game.

Sheppard took the final drive for the Owls, driving 75 yards to punch in a rushing touchdown on the ground and cut into Penn State’s 27-9 lead.

Backup quarterback Alex Manske took over for Becht to milk the clock.

Takeaways

• After the opening 56-yard strike to Koby Howard, Penn State mustered up just seven yards on its next nine plays, and Ryan Barker missed a 33-yard field goal. Despite the painfully slow offensive start, the Nittany Lions eventually found a rhythm, piecing together a 27-0 run from the second quarter and beyond.
• Temple ran all over the Penn State defense on Saturday. Between Jaxson Smolik’s slippery scrambling and Keveun Mason’s elusive efforts, Temple finished with 176 yards on the ground and averaged 5.3 yards per carry.
• Chase Sowell’s developed chemistry with Rocco Becht shined in the Nittany Lions’ victory. The redshirt senior reeled in five of his seven targets for 58 yards and a touchdown.
• Zay Robinson continues to play winning football for the Nittany Lions. The redshirt freshman accumulated 56 all-purpose yards after logging 104 yards last week against Marshall.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions return home for some MACtion against Buffalo at noon on Saturday, September 19, at Beaver Stadium. Folks can watch along on Big Ten Network.