Penn State is gearing up to play its first road game of the season this weekend when they take on Temple. The contest will take place at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles, in the first meeting between these two teams in a decade.
The Nittany Lions and the Owls both got off to strong starts to the year, both winning in blowout fashion. Although we’re only a week into the season, there is already a stark contrast between these two teams. Let’s took a look at a few key stats from Penn State’s offense and Temple’s defense that will define this game.
Rushing yards per attempt
Penn State: 3.6 ypa
Temple defense: 3.2 ypa
Penn State’s rushing attack struggled early on in the Week 1 game against Marshall before building some momentum late. The team’s backfield,
led by running back Carson Hansen, was having a difficult time running between the tackles. Unfortunately, Temple has a stout run defense so far this year and won’t be willing to let the Nittany Lions build confidence against them.
Offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser will need to work overtime this week building better run packages. Penn State has a strong, athletic offensive line, so they need to find a way to flex their muscle in Week 2.
Pass yards per attempt
Penn State: 15.1 ypa
Temple defense: 6.2 ypa
Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht was serving up big plays left and right in his debut with the team. Four different receivers had at least one explosive play of 20 yards or more, but things might not be so easy this week.
Temple held Rhode Island quarterback Tyler Budge to 195 yards passing on 31 attempts. The performance is more impressive when you consider that the Owls were winning convincingly for much of the game, meaning the Rams were in obvious passing situations. It’ll be interesting to see what gives here between Penn State’s pass offense and Temple’s pass defense.
Fourth-down conversions
Penn State: 100%
Temple defense: 100%
Fourth-down conversions was the one area that the Owls’ defense struggled with, and it was one of many areas that Penn State excelled in. The Blue and White converted two against the Thundering Herd, while Temple surrendered two in Week 1. Hopefully Penn State won’t need to take risks on fourth down in this game, but they have a decided advantage if they do.
Redzone conversion rate
Penn State: 80%
Temple defense: 100%
Penn State scored every time they got to the red zone on Saturday, with the only exception being the end of the game when the clock expired. Conversely, Temple only allowed Rhode Island to reach the red zone once but allowed a touchdown. The Nittany Lions should be able to use their size and physicality once they get down near the goal line.
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: How Penn State’s offense stacks up against Temple’s defense
