Penn State withstood a strong second half from the Temple, and the Nittany Lions beat the Owls 34-27 in front of 100,420 fans at Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Here are the game’s “Cheers and Jeers.”
Cheers
Special teams stand out— Throughout Penn State’s first three games, no unit has shown as much improvement as special teams, which was especially evident in the successes Penn State had against the Owls. Blake Gillikin continued his masterful punting, kicker Joe Julius put multiple kickoffs into the end zone and the returners continued to impress. Tyler Davis was good on both of his field goal attempts, from 40 and 30 yards, respectively. The return unit for the Nittany Lions featuring Miles Sanders, Brandon Polk and Nick Scott had 83-yards on kick-off returns, while John Reid had 32-yards via punt returns.
McSorley to Godwin continues to be golden— Quarterback Trace McSorley and wide receiver Chris Godwin continue to show tremendous chemistry, as the duo combined for 111 yards through the air as well as a touchdown in the first half. Godwin has emerged as one of the better receivers in the Big Ten following his first 1,000-yard-plus season in 2015. The duo finished with 117 yards
Jeers
Still struggles holding on to the ball— For the third straight game, the Nittany Lions struggled to hold onto the ball, with Miles Sanders fumbling the ball in the second quarter. Along with Sanders putting the ball on the ground, center Brian Gaia and McSorley continued their botched snap woes with a pair of bad snaps in the first half. If Penn State wants to have any sort of success in the Big Ten this year, it’ll need to clean up its fumble epidemic immediately.
Trouble putting teams away— The Nittany Lions had plenty of chances to put the Owls away early, but they were unable to do so. Any time Penn State had momentum, a big play from Temple or a momentum-killing penalty put the Owls right back in it. If Penn State can’t figure out how to put a game away, the results won’t be so good going forward.
Penalties, penalties, penalties— Penn State managed an astounding seven penalties for 62-yards Saturday afternoon. An overall sloppy performance helped keep Temple in the game.
Highlight of the Game
Today, we focus on tight end Mike Gesicki.
Gesicki hauled in this 52-yard reception that set the Nittany Lions up for a field goal in the third quarter. The junior continues to bounce back after struggling in his first two seasons on campus. Gesicki finished the afternoon with two receptions and 62 total yards.
Up Next
Penn State heads to the Big House to take on Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines next Saturday with a yet-to-be-determined game time. The game against the Wolverines begins a conference schedule that includes nine games. Michigan defeated Penn State 28-16 last year in Harbaugh’s first trip to Happy Valley.
Image credit: Charles LeClaire/USA Today Sports
