Rocco Becht threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns to guide No. 16 Penn State to a 27-9 road victory over Temple on Saturday in Philadelphia.
Becht went 21-of-27 on the day, including five completions to Benjamin Brahmer, who racked up 79 yards and two touchdowns. Chase Sowell also caught a TD pass for the Nittany Lions (2-0), while Carson Hansen chipped in with 84 yards on 19 carries.
Temple’s Jaxon Smolik, who previously played for Penn State, completed 10-of-16 passes for 59 yards with an interception. He also added 71 rushing yards for the Owls (1-1), while Keveun Mason rushed 14 times for 76 yards.
The first quarter was an ugly one for the Nittany Lions, who missed a short field goal on their first possession and punted on their next trip. Then an interception by Tony Rojas set up Penn State at the Temple 5, but the visitors only made it 3 yards before turning it over on downs.
Temple’s Carl Hardin kicked a 24-yard field goal early in the second quarter, although Penn State’s Ryan Barker responded with a 31-yard kick to tie it at 3-3.
After an Owls punt, the Nittany Lions marched down the field and took a 10-7 lead on Becht’s 23-yard TD strike to Brahmer. The score occurred with only eight seconds left in the half, giving Penn State its first lead of the game as the teams jogged into the locker room.
The Nittany Lions controlled play in the third quarter, beginning with a blocked punt to end the Owls’ first possession, setting up Penn State at the Temple 34. Becht and Sowell connected for gains of 15 and 10 yards on the ensuing drive before the duo hooked up once again for a 16-yard score on a quick screen.
Temple promptly went three-and-out before Barker booted a 39-yarder to make it 20-3.
Becht tossed a 23-yard touchdown to a wide-open Brahmer midway through the fourth as the Nittany Lions went ahead 27-3. Ajani Sheppard’s rushing score in the final two minutes provided a late highlight for the Owls.
