What We Learned From Penn State's Changing Snap Counts in Win Over Temple

Penn State's Week 2 win over Temple raised both promising points and concerns. Quarterback Rocco Becht was exceptional, while the defense began learning how to play without edge rusher Max Granville, who is out for the season.

The Penn State football snap counts also changed, significantly at some positions, from Week 1 to Week 2. Those adjustments offered some insight into how Matt Campbell views his depth chart entering the final week of non-conference play. Here's what we learned from the Pro Football Focus snap counts.

Penn State offensive snap count notes

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Carson Hansen (21) pushes forward with the ball against the Temple Owls. — Penn State Nittany Lions running back Carson Hansen (21) pushes forward with the ball during the second quarter against the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The most notable change, and one that certainly will come up this week, occurred at running back. After blending carries among four backs against Marshall, Penn State relied primarily on Carson Hansen against Temple.

Hansen ran 19 times for 84 yards, getting more than half the carries in the Nittany Lions' run game. Further, Hansen got 70 percent of the carries among the backs. Hansen also played 38 of the team's 62 offensive snaps.

This strategy more closely mirrored the workload Hansen at Iowa State late last season, when he averaged 21.8 carries over the last five games.

"There were some really great Carson Hansen runs,” Campbell said after the game. “I feel like I probably felt last week. We’re like a hair off on some things. I thought there was probably good growth, [and] I thought we were really physical at the point of attack again today."

This wasn't the strategy Penn State projected for the backs before the season. Position coach Savon Huggins said that he expected four backs to play, and they all did against Marshall, although the Nittany Lions removed their starters in the second half.

James Peoples was second in snaps (18) and carries (seven), while Cam Wallace got one carry. Most notably, Quinton Martin Jr. did not play an offensive snap against Temple. Martin did play on special teams but watched the offense from the sideline. Through two games, Martin has one first-half carry.

Campbell and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser meet the media Tuesday. Running backs usage will be a topic.

Elsewhere, Penn State's snaps were more concentrated to the starters, particularly because the score was 17-3 late in the third quarter. The offensive line did not substitute at all until the final series. And Becht played the same 59 snaps with his line until that final series, where Manske took over.

Chase Sowell (five catches, seven targets, 58 yards) and Koby Howard continue to get the bulk of the receiver workload. They played 43 and 42 snaps, respectively, with Howard turning the opening deep shot into a 56-yard play.

Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Chase Sowell runs after a catch against the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tight end Gabe Burkle started and played a surprising 20 snaps in his first game of the season. Burkle sustained a torn ACL at Iowa State last November but returned ahead of schedule. He trailed only Andrew Rappleyea (46) and Ben Brahmer (43) for snaps at tight end.

And though he played only six snaps, receiver Zay Robinson made the most of them. He caught three passes fo 34 yards, including a 22-yarder on a dart from Becht on 3rd-and-15 to set up a third-quarter touchdown.

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Penn State defensive snap count notes

Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Tony Rojas (13) celebrates with the crowd after his interception vs. the Temple Owls . — Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Tony Rojas (13) celebrates with the crowd after his interception vs. the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Nittany Lions had only a few days to adjust to the loss of Granville, who is out after playing just one game. Campbell called it a "really tough blow," as Granville missed the 2025 season with an injury.

His absence changes the calculus on the edge significantly. Granville, who played 22 snaps in the opener, probably was Penn State's best pure pass rusher and would have grown into a major presence up front.

Without Granville, Penn State tightened the edge rotation to three players: Ikenna Ezeogu (35 snaps), Caleb Bacon (32) and Yvan Kemajou (29). Ezeogu, who recorded four tackles and a quarterback hurry, was Penn State's highest-graded edge rusher (73.0), according to PFF.

Penn State also streamlined the rotation at defensive tackle, with starters Keanu Williams (38 snaps) and Siale Taupaki (37) certifying their starting roles. Taupaki graded out at a position-best 69.0.

Linebacker Tony Rojas had another phenomenal game, earning a huge grade of 92.3 after leading the Nittany Lions again with seven tackles and making an interception. Alex Tatsch, who spent the first half of the year rehabbing from his 2025 bowl-practice injury, played 24 snaps in his first action of the season.

The cornerbacks earned strong grades, notably Zion Tracy, who made his first start and topped the position group at 78.0. However the safeties lapsed, notably in run coverage. Temple generated five run plays of 15+ yards, and PFF saw missed tackles from the back end. Starting safety Marcus Neal (34 snaps) received a PFF grade of 37.4. Jeremiah Cooper (also 34 snaps) performed better at 71.5.

Penn State returns to Beaver Stadium on Saturday to face Buffalo for a noon ET kickoff on Big Ten Network.

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