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more than one o4ensive touchdown in any of their last seven games, "ve of which were losses. They can't a4ord to settle for those kind of numbers in 2015, and thanks to an array of personnel up- grades at the skill positions – upgrades that should give Walker a lot more op- tions than he had last year – they may not have to. "I think [opponents] will have to de- fend the whole "eld. That will pay divi- dends and it will make a huge di4erence in what we do," o4ensive coordinator Marcus Satter"eld said. "And that will help P.J. look like he's out of his slump, which may not have even been a slump anyway. This year, he's got some tools to work with." Walker made a major impact as a fresh- man, completing just over 60 percent of his passes and setting school freshman records for passing yardage (2,084) and touchdown passes (20). Last year, af- fected by an ankle injury as well as the team's personnel de"ciencies elsewhere, he completed 53.3 percent of his at- tempts for 2,317 yards, with 13 TDs and 15 interceptions. This past o4-season, Temple hired Glenn Thomas, a seven-year veteran of the Atlanta Falcons' sta4, as quarter- backs coach. Thomas worked closely with Walker, helping him develop a bet- ter grasp of quarterback fundamentals. From what Satter"eld saw in preseason camp, that work has paid o4. "He's light years from where he was last year from that standpoint," he said. "I think that's breeding con"dence in him. It's going to allow him to play con- "dently. I think he's set for a good year." If Satter"eld is right, Temple could be poised for a breakthrough, because its defense should be at least as strong as it was a year ago. Fourteen of the top 15 tacklers return from a unit that surren- dered the fourth-fewest points in the na- tion last season (17.5). The Owls were especially adept at forcing turnovers, ranking 11th nationally with 30 total takeaways including an FBS-high 19 fumble recoveries. Their success on defense comes as no surprise considering the credentials of their coaching sta4. Head coach Matt Rhule is a former Penn State linebacker who coached defense and o4ense at the college and pro levels before being hired to succeed Steve Addazio at Temple in December 2012. Rhule's defensive coor- dinator, Phil Snow, has more than three decades of NFL and major-college expe- rience, having coached the Detroit Lions' linebackers coordinated defenses for Boise State, Cal, Arizona State, UCLA and Eastern Michigan. A year ago, the Nittany Lions defeated visiting Temple by a seemingly comfort- able 16-point margin, but their 30 points – their third-highest total of the season – was not indicative of the Owls' defen- sive performance. One of Penn State's three TDs was a pick-six by cornerback Grant Haley, and that was one of "ve second-half turnovers that helped that Lions pull away in a game that was tied, 6-6, early in the third quarter. But the Owls are taking nothing for granted as they brace for the rematch. Although it had trouble throwing against Temple last year, "nishing with a meager 112 passing yards, Penn State was able to run the ball quite e4ectively. Akeel Lynch "nished with 130 rushing yards (7.2 yards per carry), and as a team, Penn State "nished with 254. If that happens again, Snow conceded, "we'll be in trouble." And that could happen again, because Penn State appears to have made some o4ensive strides of its own during the o4-season. "It looks to me physically like they're better on o4ense," Snow said. "They have a whole group of receivers and tight ends [who are returning] and four of their o4ensive linemen are back, and ob- viously their quarterback is a good player. So they'll be a good team. "Against us, they ran the ball. And at the end of the season, they were throw- ing the ball. Against BC, they threw for almost 400 yards and four touchdowns, so it'll be real interesting to see what they do. They obviously have a good tailback in [Lynch]. We couldn't tackle him last year." The Lions have a lot more than Lynch going for them as they rebuild a sanc- tion-depleted roster. But have they made more progress on o4ense than the Owls did over the past eight months? That's the question that may well decide this matchup of defensive powers. NATE BAUER 2014 RECORD 9-4 Under much worse circumstances, the Nittany Lions started hot offensively a year ago in Ireland. With a year of ac- climation, some healing, and a starting quarterback that is absolutely ready to prove himself, I think the hot finish from the Pinstripe Bowl will carry over into a hot start in Philadelphia. PENN STATE 26, TEMPLE 18 PHIL GROSZ 2014 RECORD 9-4 I'm impressed with the improvement of Penn State's skill positions on offense and I think the Lions have the chance of being even better than they were last year on defense. I can't see how Temple can score more than 10 points. PENN STATE 27, TEMPLE 10 MATT HERB 2014 RECORD 8-5 Temple returns everybody from a de- fense that was underrated last season. So this will be a nice test for a Penn State offense that is looking to make substantial improvements. The Nittany Lions win, but it won't be a romp. PENN STATE 24, TEMPLE 17 TIM OWEN 2014 RECORD 10-3 Despite Temple returning all 11 defen- sive starters, this was the team that al- lowed Penn State to rush for 152 yards greater than its dismal 2014 season av- erage. Plus, Christian Hackenberg has been stellar in both of his collegiate openers. PSU overcomes a sloppy start to win big. PENN STATE 31, TEMPLE 14 RYAN SNYDER 2014 RECORD 10-3 Don't be surprised if Temple sticks around in this game. I could see both teams getting off to a slow start, but come the second half, Penn State's de- fense should be the difference. PENN STATE 21, TEMPLE 14 S E P T E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 2 BWI'S FORECAST

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