2011 Penn State Football
Penn State @ Temple Football Preview
When you get beaten up on the playing fields of college football, the pain of the experience needs to become a teacher and a spur toward collective growth. With that pearl of wisdom in mind, coach Joe Paterno is in position to make his Penn State football team a much wiser and more mature group this weekend in the City of Brotherly Love.
After being rolled 27-11 by Alabama last week, the Penn State Nittany Lions are wary of a letdown as they travel to Philadelphia to visit the Temple Owls on Saturday. Temple hasn't beaten its in-state rival since 1941, and Penn State is hoping that after getting punished up front by the dominant and surpassingly athletic Crimson Tide, it will be able to administer a beatdown against its foe from the Mid-American Conference. Penn State needs to translate that loss to Alabama into a teachable moment, a point of passage that will enable the Blue and White to become stronger, more resilient, and far more nimble as this season progresses. PSU now knows just how deficient it is on the offensive side of the ball. Alabama needs to make Penn State’s offense better, and the journey toward improvement begins this Saturday in Philadelphia.
The Lions will continue to use a two-quarterback rotation, using both Robert Bolden and Matt McGloin, despite their offensive struggles last week. The two quarterbacks have combined for a dismal 24-of-59 for 258 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception this season.
Silas Redd leads Penn State running backs with 169 yards and three touchdowns. Derek Moye is the Lions' top receiver with seven catches for 108 yards.
Temple quarterback Mike Gerardi has completed 21 of 37 pass attempts for 328 yards and three touchdowns this season. He has not yet thrown an interception.
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The Owls crushed Akron 41-3 on the road last week in their Mid American Conference opener. Star running back Bernard Pierce carried 18 times for 150 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half. Pierce has scored six TDs this season. He has carried 38 times for 297 yards, good for an impressive 7.8 average. Backup Matt Brown, who was outstanding last season after Pierce was injured, carried 16 times last week for 85 yards.
The Temple defense held Akron to just 42 rushing yards on 28 carries. The Owls have allowed just one touchdown so far this season, a fourth-quarter TD in a 42-7 season-opening win over Villanova, which was head coach Steve Addazio's Temple debut. Temple forced four turnovers against the Wildcats.
By Scott Panitz |
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