Review: No. 5/t5 Penn State 31, Temple 6

The running game finally clicked for Penn State this week, with Evan Royster hitting his stride, despite battling the flu along with nearly a dozen other Nittany Lions. The defense was once again smothering. Daryll Clark was efficient. It seems Penn State has all the pieces. Now it's time to put them all together for the Big Ten opener next week against Iowa.

In today's game review, we'll break down Penn State's unit by unit performance.

Offense

• Offensive Line: Temple didn't stack the box as Akron and Syracuse did in the first two games. So it was a much better situation for the front five this week. Johnnie Troutman got the start at LG in place of Matt Sankiewitch, while Quinn Barham saw playing time behind RG Lou Eliades. Whether the new starting five was the reason, or that Temple didn't sell out to stop the run (I think it was the latter), the holes were there this week for the run game, which rolled to 186 yards.

But all the success Penn State had on the ground was marred by obvious problems with pass protection this week. Against Syracuse, the Orange blitzed on almost every play, but had only moderate success against Daryll Clark. Temple harassed Clark all day, bringing a very effective zone blitz package to bear on the Lions offensive line. I'm not so sure the shaky pass protection was so much due to new personnel, than just a very good pass rush scheme from Owls defensive coordinator (and former PSU great) Mark D'Onofrio.

Stats: 5.2 yards per rush; 2 sacks (-6) allowed

• Receivers: The pass catchers weren't the stars this week as they were the first two games, but other than a drop or two, this unit played very well again. Chaz Powell (4/40) led all wide receivers this week in yards and tied for receptions with Derek Moye (4/31, TD). A couple of the younger guys got some quality playing time, including Curtis Drake and Justin Brown. But it was the tight end play of Andrew Quarless (3/45) that woke up the crowd. The senior would've been the teams overall receiving yards leader, if a 50-plus-yard touchdown catch-and-run wasn't called back for a block in the back.

I really liked Penn State's heavy-trips formation, with Joe Suhey, Quarless and Mickey Shuler (1/1, TD). It was really effective in both the pass and run game, including the touchdown pass to Shuler.

Stats: 15 receptions, 150 yards, 2 touchdowns

• Running Backs: Evan Royster (19/134, TD) finally had some running room, particularly outside off-tackle. He was apparently suffering from a fever of 102 on Thursday, but it broke in time for him to explode for his first 100-yard game of the season. We haven't been able to really get into talking about Royster much this year, but his scary-fluid running and vision allowed Penn State to control the game without an overbearing pass attack.

Stephfon Green (6/19) topped 100 yards against Temple in 2008, but failed to really get anything going when he took over most of the carries in the second half. He did score his first touchdown of this season, on a really tough inside run. Getting Green more involved in the screen game should be a priority, particularly when Clark has such pass rush pressure.

Penn State also threw in a few reverses and end arounds this week, with so-so success. The Powell reverse gained 24 yards, but a fumbled reverse (-17 yards) with Drake put a damper on the trickeration.

Stats: (RB/QB only) 33 attempts, 175 yards, 2 TD

• Quarterbacks: Daryll Clark (16-26/167, 2 TD, INT) didn't have his most explosive game of the season, but he was able to make plays when Penn State needed them, and keep the offense moving all day. The pass rush really got a hold of Clark most of the game, forcing a few bad throws, including the one interception. I don't think I remember a time when Penn State's passing attack was the least of our worries. Clark brought us there now.

Clark did seem jumpy at times. I assume it was because he didn't want to run every time he was flushed from the pocket. But I wouldn't look to far into this. When the real meat of the schedule hits (say, like next week!), Clark will do anything to win, including the scrambles he's avoided the past three weeks.

Kevin Newsome (1-2/6, 15-yd rush) didn't do a whole lot this week. But hey, that's better than last week, when he was sacked twice and lost a fumble.

Penn State threw in a double-reverse pass, which almost worked. I guess they want Iowa to see that and have to practice defending it, even if Penn State doesn't use it.

Stats: 17-29, 186 yards, 2 touchdowns, INT, 2 sacks (-6)

Defense

• Defensive Line: Three linemen recorded a sack this week, as the front four for Penn State continued to stuff anything that came their way. Jared Odrick (2 tkl, TFL, Sack) and Ollie Ogbu (3 tkl, FF) were able to suck up enough Temple blockers to allow the linebackers to have one of that unit's best days this season.

Jack Crawford (3 tkl, Sack, 2.5 TFL) is living up to all that preseason hype bestowed upon him by the fans and media. I was very interested in Penn State's positioning him as a stand-up defensive end, similar to what Jerome Hayes (tkl) does.

Backups Devon Still (2 tkl), Eric Latimore (tkl) and frosh James Terry (Tkl, TFL, Sack) played well, along with true frosh Sean Stanley (tkl). Larry Johnson loves to rotate his players on almost every down, and we're seeing plenty of it early in the year.

Stats: 1.6 yards per rush allowed; 14 tackles, 4.5 TFL (-24), 3 sacks (-15)

• Linebackers: You wouldn't even think Penn State is missing one of its top-two starting linebackers in Navorro Bowman (questionable this week with groin injury). Sean Lee (12 tkl, 2.5 TFL, sack) and Josh "Mustache" Hull (13 tkl, 1.5 TFL, PBU) made the field intolerable for Temple ball carriers, combining for their best outing all season long. Hull has really come along this year, particularly in pass defense. He's had a major breakup in every game.

It was good to see guys like Bani Gbadyu (6 tkl) get much more playing time this week, subbing in for Nate Stupar (5 tkl, TFL), who replaced Bowman. It wasn't a knock on Stupar. I just think the coaches want to get as many players in the game as possible. Plus, Gbadyu was a big factor in late-2007. So, he does have plenty of game experience.

However, I was very disappointed to see Chris Colasanti (Tkl) get put into the game, basically burning his available redshirt season. He's a true junior this season, so now he will only have one season left to break the starting lineup. This is a big waste of talent by the coaching staff.

Stats: 39 tackles, 4.5 TFL (-14), Sack (-3), PBU

• Defensive Backfield: Temple was plagued by dropped balls all day, but was able to move the ball a bit through the air. However, on the other side, it was a really, really good day for the Penn State defensive backfield. D'Anton Lynn (tkl, 2 PBU) has been the least noticed player on this team, and that's a good thing. The true sophomre has been able to really slip under the radar and secure a starting corner spot, ahead of two seniors!

Knowledge Timmons (4 tkl, PBU) had the most visible play in the secondary, when he was beaten badly for what would have been a sure Temple touchdown. Timmons was able to recover to the receiver, and rip the ball loose just as the Owl was crossing the goal line. It was definitely one of those, "yeah, but..." moments.

Safeties Nick Sukay (tkl) and Drew Astorino (5 tkl, FR) played well. Astorino has been money on run defense, and fantastic on covering passes into the flats. He also recovered a Temple fumble deep in Owl territory. Penn State also went with the familiar three-safety nickel package, with Andrew Dailey (No stats).

If I had to pick on one big thing here, it would be the lack of turnovers, particularly interceptions, generated. Penn State will need some big plays from these guys, but haven't gotten any so far. They need to be more aggressive.

Stats: 13 Tkl, 3 PBU, FR.

Special Teams

• Kicking/Punting: Colin Wagner (1-1, Lng 27, 63.8 KO Avg, TB) hasn't been anything special so far, but he hasn't been asked to do a whole lot. Some have been grumbling that his kickoffs are too short, and that's a valid concern. But as long as the coverage units stay focused, it should be alright. Every game, Jeremy Boone (47.8 ypp) builds his case for first-team All-Big Ten.

• Returns/Coverage: The coverage has been not bad so far, considering the shorter kickoffs. However, the return units need a ton of work. Neither of the returners have broken anything long, and the blocking has left much to be desired. Granted, Temple didn't kickoff to Penn State's deep men and only kicked off once in this week's game.

Temple's onsides kick caught everyone by surprise, including the Penn State upbacks. Brought back some interesting memories of the Minnesota games past.

• Overall: Penn State now has all the pieces. The pass game is fine. The run game is finally here. The defense has been way better than anyone expected. Now it's time to put all those pieces together for a championship run. Coming away from the Temple game, and de-facto end of the "exhibition season," it feels like Penn State needs just one more easy opponent to get everything in place. But that won't happen. Iowa is coming to town this week, and it's getting bigger by the day. ESPN Gameday is on the way. The Hawkeyes are coming off two very impressive wins over BCS conference teams. And no one is forgetting about what happened in Iowa City last season.

Penn State is a good team this year. Is it a great team? We won't know for sure until the games are played. But it's definitely a team that has the talent and the opportunities to make a big statement to the college football world. Has Penn State emerged from a program that rebuilds every few years to one that simply reloads? That answer is getting closer, and it should reveal itself this upcoming Saturday night in Beaver Stadium.

• Official Stats, via GoPSUSports.com:

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