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KEY MATCHUPS P E N N S T A T E V S . T E M P L E | B Y P H I L G R O S Z W H E N P E N N S T A T E H A S T H E B A L L O T H E R M A T C H U P S PENN STATE RUNNING GAME 86.6YPG, 2.5 YPC TEMPLE RUN DEFENSE 163.6 YPG, 3.7 YPC THE LOWDOWN The Lions have struggled all season and will be hard-pressed to turn things around against a Temple de- fense led by LB Tyler Matakevich. A returning All-American Athletic Conference performer, Matakevich has 83 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and one sack. Fellow LB Nate D. Smith is the Owls' second-leading tackler with 61 stops. DT Matt Ioannidis (nine TFL) and DE Praise Martin-Oguike (seven TFL, 5.5 sacks) are Temple's big-play specialists on defense. The key matchup here will pit Penn State's interior offensive line against Ioannidis, Matake- vich and Smith. They are the heart of the Owls' defense. EDGE Temple PENN STATE PASSING GAME 251.4 YPG, 11.3 YPC TEMPLE PASS DEFENSE 200.7 YPG, 10.9 YPC THE LOWDOWN Christian Hackenberg had a tough afternoon at Indiana, but Penn State enters its game against Temple with the Big Ten's fourth-best passing offense. DaeSean Hamilton still leads the conference with 64 receptions for 761 yards and is averaging 11.9 yards per catch, but he has just one TD reception. Temple is third in the AAC in pass defense, as opponents have completed 61.5 percent of their attempts for 1,806 yards. The key matchups here will pit CBs Sean Chandler and Tavon Young against Hamilton and Eugene Lewis. Chandler is the Owls' third- leading tackler with 53 stops, while Young leads the team with three interceptions. EDGE Even PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. TEMPLE PASS DEFENSE TEMPLE RUNNING GAME 118.8 YPG, 3.7 YPC PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE 85.6 YPG, 2.5 YPC THE LOWDOWN Temple fields the seventh-best rushing attack in the AAC. The Owls' leading rusher is sophomore RB Jahad Thomas with 371 yards on 72 carries (5.2 YPC). Their second-leading rusher is senior Kenneth Harper with 263 yards on 67 carries (3.9 YPC) and five rushing TDs. With a young and inexperienced starting offensive line that includes only one junior (center Kyle Friend), the Owls figure to have a difficult time running the ball against Penn State, which fields the No. 1 rushing defense in the country. The key matchup here will pit starting OGs Leon John- son and Brendan McGowan against Penn State DTs Austin Johnson and Anthony Zettel. EDGE Penn State TEMPLE RUNNING GAME VS. PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE TEMPLE PASSING GAME VS. PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE THE LOWDOWN Neither of these teams has been impressive on special teams, but the Lions might have a slight edge be- cause of Sam Ficken. The senior place-kicker has converted 19 of 22 field goal attempts, and his three misses were the result of problems on the line that led to blocks. An amazing statistic: Ficken has more field goals than extra points (18) this season. That says volumes about Penn State's struggles on offense. EDGE Even SPECIAL TEAMS THE LOWDOWN Temple has experienced more than its share of heartbreak in its long series against the Nittany Lions. The two Keystone State rivals began playing each other in 1931 and have met 42 times over the years, continuing to play periodically even after the Lions joined the Big Ten. The Owls have won only three of those games. Their last victory over Penn State was in 1941. EDGE Penn State THIS 'N' THAT THE LOWDOWN Temple's head coach is former Penn State walk-on linebacker Matt Rhule, a native of State College. Rhule has been in charge of the Owls' program since December 2012, taking over after Steve Addazio left to become head coach at Boston College. Saturday's game will be the first time that James Franklin and his staff have coached against Temple. EDGE Even COACHING STAFF W H E N T E M P L E H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME VS. TEMPLE RUN DEFENSE N O V E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 3 TEMPLE PASSING GAME 196.7 YPG, 11.2 YPC PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE 182.0 YPG, 11.1 YPC THE LOWDOWN The Owls have the seventh-rated passing attack in the AAC. Sophomore QB P.J. Walker has completed 54.4 percent of his passes for 1,679 yards with 11 TDs and 10 interceptions. Jalen Fitzpatrick is the Owls' leading receiver with 37 catches for 512 yards and five TDs, but he may not play Saturday due to a leg injury. The Owls' sec- ond-leading receiver is Thomas with 10 catches for 259 yards. The Nittany Lions are third in the Big Ten in passing yards allowed per game. The key matchup here will pit Penn State CB Jordan Lucas against Fitzpatrick, provided the senior wideout is able to play. EDGE Penn State

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