4 Things I'm Watching Closely in Penn State's Week 2 Visit to Temple

Penn State will face Temple on Saturday for the first time since 2015, when the Nittany Lions allowed 27 unanswered points to the Matt Rhule-led Owls, falling 27-10 in one of the most brutal losses of the James Franklin era.

The Nittany Lions return to Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday in search of a different result. Penn State is a 24.5-point favorite over the Owls, who opened their season with a 38-14 win over Rhode Island.

With still so much to be answered after the Nittany Lions’ Week 1 blowout, these are four storylines we’ll be watching that should tell us a lot more about the team.

Will the running game show improvement?

Penn State Nittany Lions running back James Peoples runs with the ball vs. the Marshall Thundering Herd at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Penn State ran for 174 yards against Marshall in the season opener, which didn’t tell the whole story. The Nittany Lions were inefficient on the ground, averaging 3.6 yards per carry (3.3 in the first half). That won’t fly in Big Ten play.

This weekend’s matchup will be very telling for the run game’s long-term outlook. Temple allowed the fourth-most rushing yards per game in the AAC (197.3) and surrendered the highest yards-per-carry average (5.0) in 2025, which makes Saturday a tantalizing matchup for Penn State. If the backfield struggles again, it’ll start to become worrisome.

Running backs Carson Hansen and James Peoples, who played during the first half against Marshall, combined for 79 rushing yards on 19 carries. The run game starts with them and will need to improve with them.

Penn State coach Matt Campbell addressed the backfield skepticism during a press conference Tuesday.

“I think it's twofold,” Campbell said. “Number one, I feel like, we kind of felt like we were going to get loaded boxes early in the game. I felt like that was something that, in a way, opened up the passing game early. We felt like that was going to have to happen early in the football game to kind of get us going.

“That's certainly not to say we can't be cleaner or need to be cleaner in the running game. I thought there were times we fell off blocks. I think the consistency of those. Sometimes it's not always on the O-line. We have to remember the way we play, man, that's the tight end position, that's at receiver. There were opportunities there for some big, big hits, and we just didn't make the most of 'em.”

How will Penn State perform in its first road game?

A general view of the field during a game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Las Vegas Raiders at Lincoln Financial Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Saturday won’t be a true road game for the Nittany Lions, as there will be plenty of Nittany Lions fans at Lincoln Financial Field. The cheapest resale tickets are around $80 on StubHub. Still, it’s the first time we’ll see this team play on the road.

Is Rocco Becht the same quarterback on the road vs. at home? Will the offense be successful using a silent snap count? Can Becht still make the right adjustments at the line of scrimmage and slow the game down?

These are all questions Campbell looks forward to answering, especially since Penn State plays in two really tough road environments this year in Michigan and Washington. Campbell noted that this weekend will be a big growth experience and that they’ve been talking about this opportunity since the Marshall game ended.

“Great teams play great on the road,” Campbell said. “That's just how it goes. Understanding the focus it takes, understanding a noon game on the road on top of it. I think a lot of things that this group is going to have to navigate forward, with the leadership of our coaching staff, the leadership of our players. We're going to have to handle it.”

Did Caleb Bacon’s strong Week 1 outing earn him more snaps?

🔥 6 Tackles (3 TFL)
🔥 1 Solo Sack
🔥 Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors@PennStateFball’s Caleb Bacon made his presence felt in the Nittany Lions' 2026 home opener 😤 pic.twitter.com/hGCxdMiP5T
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 8, 2026

Bacon was exceptional in his first game at defensive end Saturday. The former linebacker, and one-time offensive lineman, tallied six tackles (three for loss) and a sack on 19 snaps. That’s impressive.

Even better, all three of his tackles for loss and his sack came in the first half. Bacon had 9.5 tackles for loss and one sack last season; he generated nearly one-third of his 2025 production in one game.

It’ll be intriguing to see if he earned some more burn at defensive end. He wasn’t a name floated around as a starting edge in the offseason, but it wouldn’t be crazy to say he played the best in his position group on Saturday. Bacon was explosive and set the edge well.

His role against Temple might be the most intriguing to watch, besides maybe running back Quinton Martin Jr., who didn’t play a snap until the third quarter in the season opener.

Will Temple play Penn State the same?

Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Koby Howard runs with the ball after making a catch vs. the Marshall Thundering Herd. — Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Koby Howard (6) runs with the ball after making a catch vs. the Marshall Thundering Herd at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Campbell said that Marshall gave a lot of looks defensively with eight or nine players in the box, attempting to stop the run and putting the game in Becht’s hands. After Becht’s 271-yard, four-touchdown showing, will Temple do the same?

It’s hard to imagine the Owls wouldn’t want to stop Penn State’s air game, particularly receiver Koby Howard, which will likely open up some opportunities on the ground. However, if Temple plays the Nittany Lions the same, what does that say about Becht?

Do teams not respect him, even though he’s the most experienced quarterback in college football? Both Marshall coach Tony Gibson and Temple coach K.C. Keeley have nothing but praise for him.

So it’ll be interesting to see how the Owls game plan against Penn State. And if they do focus on the Nittany Lions’ passing attack, will the run game take that step forward after an uneven Week 1 performance?

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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