The Nittany Lions were a part of history in their opening game against their in-state rivals the Temple Owls, but it wasn’t history that made Penn State students and alumni proud to be fans of the team.

For the first time since 1941, Penn State lost to Temple in a 27-10 rout in front of a record crowd of 69,176 at the Eagles Nest, Lincoln Financial Field (just the second sold attendance for an Owls game at the Linc).

The game had started out as expected for the favored Lions as they jumped out to an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter featuring a 42 yard touchdown run by running back Akeel Lynch. As it progressed however, Penn State’s offense stalled and momentum began to shift near halftime. Temple cut the lead to 10-7 on a one-yard touchdown run by running back Jamad Thomas. Then they tied the game midway through the third quarter with a field goal, and on Penn State’s next possession, quarterback Christian Hackenberg made a mistake that opened the floodgates. He threw an interception deep in Penn State territory to linebacker Sharif Finch and returned the ball 26 yards to the two-yard line. Temple then took the lead with a quarterback sneak by PJ Walker, making it 17-10, and the momentum was on their side at the start of the fourth quarter. Hackenberg, along with the rest of Penn State’s offense, struggled to make any plays throughout the game as he was sacked a whopping ten times and was pressured for most of the snaps taken.

Their total yards for the last three quarters were an abysmal 34 as well. The junior running back Jamad Thomas had another touchdown run in the fourth quarter to extend the Owls lead to 24-10 and was, by far, the best offensive performer in the game. The best defensive performer was Temple linebacker Tyler Matakevich who recorded three of the Owls 10 sacks. And a 30-yard field goal made with 5 minutes left in the game added insurance and sealed one of the biggest victories in the history of Temple’s football program.

“First thing, we have to give Temple and Coach [Matt] Rhule credit,” Penn State Head Coach James Franklin said. “They played extremely well. They dominated the front on each side of the ball. Their offensive line played well against our defensive line. The zone-read gave us some problems. Obviously, the sacks are an issue.”

This historic loss, 74 years and 39 previous matchups in the making, goes down as the worst defeat of the James Franklin Era, and a poor start to a season that followed a thrilling Bowl Victory over Boston College at Yankee Stadium last year. This game is an indicator that either Franklin and company have to reevaluate their game plan, or that the Temple Owls are a more compatible team then everyone thought.

The Nittany Lions moved on from this disaster by literally burying the game tape with a shovel on the practice field. Penn State has rebounded well, having since won four straight.

Lion’s Eye Staff Writer

Michael McCarrick, mqm5415@psu.edu, Lion’s Eye Staff Writer (since updated by Lion’s Eye Web Staff)