No. 16 Penn State came out of Saturday's Week 2 game at Temple with a win, which means it heads into its last non-conference game undefeated.
It wasn't as pretty of a game as Week 1 was, and even though a couple new questions raised, the Nittany Lions (2-0) had a huge win for the culture as well as their record.
Question: How will Penn State improve third and fourth down efficiency?
The Nittany Lions were 6-of-12 on third down and 0-1 on fourth down Saturday afternoon. The week prior, they were 8-of-16 on third down and 2-2 on fourth down. Fifty percent isn't were Penn State wants to be, and having a second non-conference game with that stat line and dropping to zero percent on fourth down isn't the direction it wants to go.
Quarterback Rocco Becht has yet to face a Big Ten defense, and Temple gave him some trouble on Saturday, particularly in that first quarter. It's not all on him, of course. Passes were dropped and the run game stalled before Penn State found its groove, but head coach Matt Campbell and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser have to figure out these late down scenarios to stay competitive and aggressive vs. the Big Ten.
Question: Will Carson Hansen have help in the backfield?
Senior running back Carson Hansen is the primary back for Penn State, but he's not the only one. Ohio State transfer James Peoples is expected to step into a bigger role than he had with the Buckeyes, and his fall camp performance
The run game didn't have a chance to shine in Week 1 against Marshall's defense. Hansen had 11 touches for just 48 rushing yards. On Saturday, he had more opportunities and totaled 19 carries for 84 yards. He averaged the same yards per carry (4.4), so the explosiveness isn't quite there from him.
What Week 1 had in the run that Week 2 didn't, though, was variety. More backs got out there vs. Marshall, which was thanks to the score compared to Temple, and had Peoples, Quinton Martin Jr. and Cam Wallace all contributing.
Hansen will bear the weight of the work in the offensive backfield, but the rest of the room — especially Peoples — needs to offer a spark. If Hansen doesn't have the explosiveness, one of them has to. Peoples had a 12-yard run at the end of the first half on first down with 29 seconds left that helped set up for a Becht touchdown pass to tight end Benjamin Brahmer, and Penn State needs more of that. There needs to be a consistently complementary back to Hansen. If Peoples is meant to be a third or fourth down back, too, then he needs to get the job done.
Answered: How will Penn State respond to adversity?
The Nittany Lions came into this game off a dominant Week 1 win. Becht was 13-of-15 for 271 yards and four touchdown passes, the defense shut Marshall out, and Campbell made smart decisions.
Not every game will be a replica, but seeing the struggles early on Saturday was a little concerning to see, especially when it was a few series of them too. The response is what matters by the end of the game, though, and Penn State delivered.
The Nittany Lions were composed on Saturday. A sack allowed, slow run game, missed field goal, only one completion, and an illegal pass forward penalty in three consecutive offensive drives and remaining scoreless despite having two red zone attempts is a lot to brush off all in one quarter.
Penn State looked like a much better team and wasn't hasty in getting there either. Hansen totaled 84 yards on 19 carries and Becht was 21-of-27 for 268 yards and three touchdowns. Brahmer had five receptions for 79 yards and two scores. The offense looked much more cohesive and on the same page, and once that rhythm was intact, the Owls defense that looked pretty strong at the start fell behind.
While the offense bounced back, D'Anton Lynn's defense remained consistently stable. The Nittany Lions kept putting their offense back on the field, and when the results didn't end in points for the first quarter, the defense never strayed from its identity. Tony Rojas had seven tackles and in interception, Cael Brezina had six tackles, and Yvan Kemajou came away with a sack.
Penn State allowed just nine points on Saturday and its first touchdown in roughly 118 minutes of play through these first two weeks of the season.
From a whole team effort perspective, this was huge for Campbell. Resiliency and breaking through barriers are things that faltered in James Franklin's last season. Campbell might not have the records or numbers to prove that he's a better head coach than Franklin for the Nittany Lions, yet, but he has the locker room fully.
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