Penn State Preview: Who Are the Temple Owls

Temple at Penn State
September 22, 2012
3:30 EST

Temple University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Head Coach: Steve Addazio (9-4 career)

2011 Record: 9-4

2012 Record: 1-1

Returning 8 starters; 3 on offense, 5 on defense.

Key Players: 

QB #10 Chris Coyer: Chris has rushed for 133 yards this season and thrown for an additional 239. Through two games, he’s completed just 12 passes with a 41% completion rate. As a backup in 2011, he rushed for 608 yards and threw for another 463.

RB #22 Matt Brown: Brown is a little guy, but he’s shifty. He was used to compliment Bernard Pierce last year and nearly rushed for 1000 yards doing so. He’s capable of breaking one and is Temple’s best offensive players. He has 176 rushing yards through 2 games to go along with

S #4 Justin Gildea: Gildea is the leading returning tackler for the Owls and also had 3 interceptions in 2011.

Ath #7 Kevin Newsome: Newsome is a Penn State transfer and took some snaps at wide receiver last week. He may make an appearance this weekend on a trick play or as a true wideout.

SUMMARY:

Temple is about the closest things to a rival that Penn State has. PSU fans are annoyed by Temple and the way they hung around the last two seasons, Temple fans are annoyed by the arrogance of Nittany Lion fans. It’s not pretty and with no Pitt on the schedule, this is the big in-state game.

The Owls are in their first season in the Big East after a couple of dominating seasons in the MAC. Unfortunately, they are replacing their best quarterback, running back and top three receivers from last season. Following a big win over in-city-rival Villanova, Temple fans were beating their chests about being the best football team in the state. Following a loss to woeful Maryland the following week, those talks have subsided and Penn State is a 9 point favorite this weekend.

The Penn State front seven will be called upon again to slow down a spread option-type offense. Head coach Steve Addazio was the offensive coordinator at Florida under Urban Meyer and is trying to recreate similar magic. Temple hasn’t thrown much through the first two weeks, but they’ll try on Saturday because that’s Penn State’s defensive weakness. The number one matchup to watch will be QB Chris Coyer against the Penn State secondary.

Fun Facts:

• Temple hasn’t beat Penn State since 1941.
• Temple currently has the 122nd ranked pass offense, with less than 120 yards per game through two games.
• Like Pitt with the Steelers, Temple borrows the stadium of the NFL team in their town, the Philadelphia Eagles.
• Through two home games, Temple has announced attendances of 33,000 and 23,000.
• Temple currently has a recruiting class ranked 71st by 247Sports, 2 spots ahead of Penn State.

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