Philadelphia treated Penn State football nicely.

The Nittany Lions scored 27 unanswered points en route to a Week 2 win over Temple at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday. Penn State lacked the same explosiveness it displayed against Marshall, but it found its footing in the second half to push it over the finish line.

Nevertheless, the overall lackluster showing got Penn State fans riled up on social media. Here’s how our staff responded to some of the Nittany Lion faithful’s takes.

Carson Hansen Should Be RB4 Against Buffalo

Cadyn Gill: Let’s not be dramatic. Carson Hansen hasn’t performed up to the heightened standards set by his predecessors, including Kaytron Allen, Nick Singleton, Miles Sanders, and Saquon Barkley. Penn State fans have been spoiled with their lead runners, so this year’s drop-off at the position feels relatively disappointing.

Particularly, Hansen’s contact balance has been frustrating to watch. But immediately stuffing him in the doghouse after he’s racked up 132 yards on 30 carries would be dramatic. At the same time, let’s scale up James People’s and Quinton Martin Jr.’s carries for a more balanced rushing attack.

Jamie Lynch: I disagree. While the running game has undoubtedly been a weak point for the team thus far, Hansen has not shown that he deserves to be No. 4 on the depth chart.

While many are quick to criticize his tendency to fall forward, often prior to contact, there were instances on Saturday when his “lunge” helped the team, particularly in a 14-personnel situation. That being said, there’s no question that it also contributed to many stalled drives inside the red zone. 

Hansen has been known throughout his career as the guy who lowers his shoulder and makes defenders pay. I’m willing to give him another chance to straighten out his game.

I’d like to see Martin involved in the play calling more, though. He proved in the Pinstripe Bowl that he can be a difference-maker, so I’d like to see if he can provide any sort of spark to this offense.

Oscar Orellana: It’s no secret that Hansen hasn’t had a quick start to his Penn State career. He hasn’t looked explosive, hasn’t added much to the offense, and has been overshadowed by Peoples and Cam Wallace. Martin also provided some good stuff in Week 1, but didn’t play against Temple.

Hansen has carried the ball 30 times compared to Peoples’ 15. The fact that Hansen received more than double the carries of the next running back signals to me that the coaching staff has complete faith in him, and it has maintained that faith.

Hansen was also very frustrated during his postgame media availability, but vowed to get things back on track soon. A lot of Penn State fans are upset that Martin didn’t get a single carry and that Peoples has been outplaying Hansen, yet the coaching staff won’t make the switch. Peoples averaged six yards per carry against the Owls to Hansen’s 4.4.

The season is still young. While Peoples, Wallace, and Martin have done more with less, it still isn’t such an insane gap in production that it makes me think the three of them should be prioritized over Hansen. Hansen is clearly Matt Campbell and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser’s guy. Give him a few more games before you come for his head.

He does need to stop leaning and falling before contact, though. That easily stuffed some solid Penn State red-zone trips in the first half against Temple.

Penn State Failed Its First ‘Loyalty Over Talent’ Test

Cadyn Gill: I understand why this concept is so unpopular; I’ve lived it year after year as a Dallas Cowboys fan, watching guys with clearly no talent stay on the roster because they were selected with a draft pick.

However, I don’t see this happening at Penn State right now. Hansen probably should have received fewer carries, but who else is getting unmerited playing time? No one comes to mind.

Jamie Lynch: I just dealt with a head coach who started Liam Clifford over Koby Howard, so don’t talk to me about “loyalty over talent.”

Everyone has an off game, and as Oscar says below, the Iowa State transfers proved they are the real deal. 

The only point where this would come into question is the running game with Martin. I am also a little surprised that Andrew Rappleyea hasn’t been much of a factor, but Benjamin Brahmer is elite, so I wouldn’t attribute that to any Campbell Cyclone bias.

Oscar Orellana: This sort of goes hand-in-hand with the whole running back situation, but this isn’t really an issue. The Iowa Staters showed they could ball against Marshall, and there’s clearly a boatload of talent there. Campbell wouldn’t have brought everyone over if they weren’t talented enough.

Once again, just give the players time to grow. I don’t think it’s a talent issue, but just getting used to playing together. It’ll all be sorted out soon. Temple had a good game plan and executed well.

This Version Of Penn State Will Not Survive Against Big Ten Competition

Cadyn Gill: I mean, in a vacuum, this take isn’t wrong. If you had swapped Temple’s roster with any of the three most challenging opponents on the Nittany Lions’ schedule, it would have been a hell of a lot closer, if not a loss.

I’m also not going to overreact to one half of bad football because there are numerous aspects of this team that I feel confident will whoop some butt in conference play. And looking around the country, the playing field seems more level than ever before, but you are lying if you think playing down to Temple wasn’t a red(ish) flag. I trust Campbell and his staff to course-correct after battling both adversity and the Owls last Saturday.

Jamie Lynch: Oh, please. Sure, Penn State didn’t play its cleanest game against Temple, but finding a team that doesn’t go through early-season adversity or plays down to the level of an inferior opponent is rare.

The Nittany Lions were blessed with an early-season road test and overcame the in-game obstacles that were thrown at them.

Wisconsin also gave up nine points to Western Illinois, Oregon lost to Oklahoma State, and USC let Louisiana drop 30. Competitive balance in college football is closer than ever, and Penn State has one of the most talented rosters in the Big Ten. No need to hit the panic button.

Oscar Orellana: Slow all the way down. Temple knew what was at stake and wanted its fans to have something to cheer for. The Owls played a solid, clean game. It’s any given Saturday in college football. Look at Oregon’s big-time loss and Ohio State’s choke. Are either of those teams fit to survive in the Big Ten?

Anybody saying this is simply being negative for the sake of being negative. Campbell clearly believes in all of the players he brought from Iowa State. We won’t know until after the Wisconsin and Northwestern games. For now, just relax and enjoy the final non-conference matchup.

This version of Penn State displayed its grit and response to adversity against Temple. Halftime adjustments were on point, and the Nittany Lions took care of business. That goes much further in college football than pure talent.

The Offensive Line Is To Blame For The Struggling Run Game

Cadyn Gill: I’m absolutely not buying this. You can’t tell me the line, with freakishly athletic tackles and powerful interior bulldozers, isn’t pulling its weight. I think this is more of an overarching scheme issue, along with a lack of vision from the running back room. Hansen himself mentioned that he missed a lot of lanes against Marshall.

More time on task from both units, plus additional layers from Mouser’s playbook, should help get the ground game on track against better opponents.

Jamie Lynch: Based on the offensive line’s success in keeping the pocket clean for Becht so far this season, I have a hard time placing blame on the unit for the lapses in the run game.

​​There have been plenty of holes for the running backs to work with, but the Nittany Lion ball carriers just haven’t been able to find them.

Oscar Orellana: Completely disagree. The big boys up front are blocking as well as anyone in college football. Hansen has had trouble staying upright so far. It seems like any contact immediately makes him lean forward and go down, halting any forward progress.

I’m not bashing on Hansen, but it’s just the easy-to-see negative trait that he’s displayed so far. Peoples, Wallace, and Martin have done a lot with less.

The offensive line has kept Becht clean and has played perhaps the biggest role in Chase Sowell’s touchdown against Temple. The running game issues are in Savon Huggins’ room, in my opinion.

Tony Rojas Is Penn State’s Most Important Player

Cadyn Gill: The most important player on a football field is always the quarterback. You will only go as far as your quarterback takes you. So that title goes to Becht for the Nittany Lions, but I wouldn’t push back against Rojas being Penn State’s quarterback of the defense.

He’s one of the longest-tenured defenders, a strong voice in the locker room, and pretty dang good at football. He certainly sets the tone for that front seven, even after coming off a long-term knee injury from last season.

Jamie Lynch: It’s Becht. Rojas is the most important player on this Penn State defense, in my opinion, but Becht is the pulse and heartbeat of the team. If he falters on any given week, the Nittany Lions will struggle immensely.

Cael Brezina’s performance against Temple shows that the depth of the linebacker room is perhaps deeper than many would have expected. Paired with a subpar run game, this team is better equipped to deal with an off day from Rojas than from Becht.

Oscar Orellana: Rojas’ pick in the first half seemed to turn the page for Penn State, but the Nittany Lions continued to struggle through the rest of the first half.

Becht missed a wide-open Rappleyea for an easy touchdown on 4th-and-goal on the resulting drive, but Rojas showed why he isn’t to be overlooked in a defense with Caleb Bacon and Kooper Ebel, among others.

I would say Rojas is Penn State’s most important defensive player (he is the biggest returning starter), but the season lies on Becht’s shoulders at the end of the day.