2-0.

Penn State football defeated Temple 27-9 in its first road test of the season. While it wasn’t the cleanest game for Matt Campbell’s squad, the Nittany Lions overcame early adversity and cruised to victory.

Here’s a quick review of each position group’s performance against the Owls. 

Quarterbacks: A

Aside from a first-play 56-yard bomb to Koby Howard, Rocco Becht had a slow start, going 1-for-4. One of those attempts was a fourth-down pass to Andrew Rappleyea that was low and behind him, failing to capitalize on a turnover and great field position.

Becht also nearly connected with Chase Sowell deep in the end zone, but the ball popped out at the last moment.

From there, he went on to throw 12 consecutive completions. His final stats included three touchdowns and 268 yards through the air, logging no interceptions. Becht has shown great poise in the pocket this season, putting throws on the money in each of the first two games, and continues to be a bright spot of this Penn State team.

Running Backs: C+

The running game still leaves a lot to be desired. Carson Hansen had 84 yards on 19 touches, but what the stats don’t show are two failed attempts to punch it in from inside the five-yard line and a seeming inability to find space when gaps present themselves.

James Peoples made work of what was given to him, averaging six yards per carry on seven touches. His hurdle over Temple cornerback Denzel Chavis was impressive, but nothing stood out about his performance otherwise.

Quinton Martin Jr. somehow did not receive a single handoff, and Cam Wallace touched the ball just once. Campbell and Savon Huggins have some figuring out to do regarding the depth chart.

Receivers: B

It appeared as if Howard would have another monster game after his first-play reception deep into Temple territory. He ultimately finished the day with just three catches for 68 yards, a stark drop-off from the week prior.

During a stalled drive in the second quarter, Howard appeared frustrated following a third-down stop for the Owls. It’s clear he wants to be a major part of this offense and should see an uptick in production again come Buffalo.

On the other hand, Sowell burst onto the scene, tallying five catches for 58 yards and a touchdown, his first of the season. He was responsible for two drops, including a would-be touchdown, but looked like someone who could be a real difference-maker moving forward.

Zay Robinson and Brett Eskildsen caught every pass thrown their way, but Eskildsen was not involved in the game as much as expected.

Tight Ends: A-

Benjamin Brahmer is clearly Penn State’s TE1 this season. His connection with Becht on Saturday was on point, as he recorded five receptions for 79 yards and two touchdowns, leading the team in all three categories. His ability to find separation up the seam was put on full display against Temple.

Rappleyea has been a surprisingly quiet piece of the Penn State offense thus far. After a promising 2025 campaign, Rappleyea has just two receptions this season, one in each game. He had a key block on Howard’s touchdown last week, but hasn’t been the guy everyone thought he could be up to this point.

Taylor Mouser debuted a 14-personnel package with limited success. Gabe Burkle and Finn Furmanek registered snaps, but both impacts were negligible.

Offensive Line: B

You can’t place all the blame on the offensive line for the lapses in the running game, but it certainly played a part. There were few instances on Saturday when the running backs had clear space to operate.

Becht also faced some pressure from the Owl defense, getting sacked once and nearly going down a second time on the blitz.

One of the unit’s positive moments came on the Sowell touchdown, where Malachi Goodman and Trevor Buhr demonstrated elite blocking on the screen play, paving the way for a 16-yard score.

Front Seven: B

Yvan Kemajou was responsible for Penn State’s lone sack on Saturday, a disappointingly low number for a group going against a Temple offensive line missing three starters. Jaxon Smolik seemed to be an escape artist under pressure, turning nothing into something on more occasions than the Nittany Lion defense would have cared for.

Tony Rojas once again had a strong showing out of the linebacker group. He notched an interception in the first half and recorded seven total tackles, five being solo. Cael Brezina also made his presence known, tallying five solo tackles of his own.

Secondary: A-

The Nittany Lion secondary was another bright spot for the team in their matchup with Temple, surrendering just 107 yards through the air.

Audavion Collins tallied two pass breakups, and Zion Tracy recorded one of his own. Tracy added five total tackles, four solo, to the stat sheet, good for the third most on the team.

Special Teams: B

Penn State didn’t have too many chances to show off its special teams this weekend. Nathan Tiyce punted just once, a 35-yard boot that was downed inside the five-yard line.

Robinson was on punt-return duties once again, averaging 11 yards per return on two attempts.

Ryan Barker had the jitters on his first field goal attempt, missing a 33-yard try wide left. He then drilled his other two, from 31 and 39 yards out, and was perfect on extra points.