Penn State Rewards Matt Campbell’s Trust, Shrugs Off Slow Start to Topple Temple
PHILADELPHIA — Penn State could not afford a repeat of what happened the last time it played at Lincoln Financial Field. The Nittany Lions literally buried the tape from their 2015 loss to Temple.
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No funeral is necessary for the game film from this trip to Philadelphia. If anything, it’s full of teachable takeaways for No. 16 Penn State in the early days of coach Matt Campbell’s tenure.
The Owls did score first with a field goal early in the second quarter, leaving the partisan crowd — a sea of white that looked like Beaver Stadium East — stunned for much of the first half. Big Ten teams have been on upset watch for the first few weeks of this college football season, but the Nittany Lions avoided that fate. Penn State (2-0) came away with a 27-9 victory in the renewal of an in-state rivalry that’s been dormant for a decade, but Campbell wasn’t pleased with his team’s performance.
“There’s a lot for us to grow and take if you want to win on the road, and you want to be a team that’s got the ability to win on the road, it doesn’t look like it did today,” Campbell said afterward.
Campbell took responsibility for mistakes that kept the game close as long as it was. He said attention to detail starts with him.
It looked as if the Nittany Lions were on their way to a rout from the very first snap. Quarterback Rocco Becht, one of several Iowa State players who followed Campbell to Penn State, connected with wide receiver Koby Howard on a 56-yard bomb. But that drive stalled, and kicker Ryan Barker missed a 33-yard field goal to let the Owls off the hook.
The Nittany Lions soon returned to the red zone after linebacker Tony Rojas intercepted Temple quarterback Jaxon Smolik. The drive started on the 5-yard line, but the Owls’ defense stood up Penn State on three consecutive runs. The offense stayed on the field for fourth down, and an incomplete pass by Becht handed the ball right back to Temple.
“I don’t think there’s any explanation other than that we didn’t play very well,” Campbell said of his team’s early struggles.
After the Owls (1-1) amassed just eight yards on their first two possessions, they mounted a long drive. Smolik spearheaded a 15-play, 91-yard series with a 47-yard scramble that it looked like he might score on.
Temple was inside the 10-yard line and threatening to score when coach KC Keeler called a timeout and swapped Ajani Sheppard in for Smolik. His first pass attempt, on one of the most pivotal plays of the game, missed the mark. The Owls settled for a field goal to get on the board and take the lead, but that felt like a win for Penn State.
The Nittany Lions scored on their next five possessions, including a touchdown to take a 10-3 lead into halftime. The clock was running low on Penn State after a first-down completion just short of the sticks, but Campbell said after the game he liked the play they had dialed up, so he let it ride. Becht rifled a pass over the middle to a wide-open Benjamin Brahmer to prove him right.
“It was dicey. Obviously it worked out in our favor,” Campbell said. “One, I did think we had the first down. Two, even though we didn’t, and I saw the clock running, I felt really confident in the play call that we had, and that was great execution by those two players.”
Temple had outplayed its opponent — a Power 4 team it had beaten just four times in 45 tries — for much of the first half. But the score did not reflect that.
The floodgates finally opened in the second half for the Nittany Lions. Running back Carson Hansen found more room to run. And Becht found his rhythm. He took a late hit on Penn State’s penultimate possession. But he kept his composure and tossed another touchdown to pass Brahmer two plays later to put the game away for good.
The Owls went into their toughest game of the season with a quarterback controversy, and they left without an answer. Smolik wowed with his rushing ability — seven carries for 71 yards against his former team — and his ability to extend plays. But he looks limited as a passer. He also committed the game’s only turnover.
Sheppard led Temple’s lone touchdown drive. The game was in hand, but he finished with nearly as many passing yards (48) on one series as Smolik (58) amassed in the entire game. And with the Owls back in the red zone, he scrambled for a late score to make the final score look more palatable.
Keeler brings back a veteran team this season that has the talent to end a six-season bowl drought. But Temple needs to figure out the situation to realize that goal.
This was the first time Penn State has dealt with adversity under Campbell. The Nittany Lions beat Marshall 45-0 last Saturday in his debut. There were no missed field goals or empty red zone trips in that game. They scored on their first three possessions.
But with his team trailing on the road to an opponent Campbell knew he shouldn’t lose to, his response was calm and measured. When the clock was ticking down, he put his faith in his players — players he’s coached for years at Iowa State and who are here now to help set the foundation at Penn State. That trust was rewarded.
“I thought our response when our back was against the wall was awesome,” Campbell said. “If we’re going to paint a positive picture, we responded when things got harder. The reality of it is that other detail that allows some of those things to happen; we’ve got to be better if we want to be the team that we want to become.”
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