Blue White Illustrated

PLAYER OF THE GAME Tyler Matake- vich was Temple's much-hyped line- backer, and he didn't disappoint in the least on Saturday afternoon. Making seven tackles and three sacks against the Nittany Lions, Matakevich was a constant source of disruption, and Christian Hackenberg paid for it dearly. PLAY OF THE GAMETemple defensive end Sharif Finch read Hackenberg like a book. With the Nittany Lion offense struggling to find even a glimmer of productivity in the second half, Finch stepped in front of a telegraphed pass to DaeSean Hamilton, making the inter- ception and rumbling down to the 2- yard line. The Owls took a 17-10 lead just two plays later on a P.J. Walker 1- yard touchdown run. BEST PASSTemple wide receiver John Christopher had his moments Saturday afternoon, but none were more cunning than his end-around pass to Owls quar- terback P.J. Walker, picking up a big 25- yard gain in the process. Frankly, Hackenberg and Walker combined weren't good for many. BEST RUNTemple's Jahad Thomas weaved through traffic at the end of the game like a cabbie finding an express lane. Pausing for a moment before bolt- ing to his right, throwing another juke or two, picking up a block and skirting into the end zone, Thomas gave the Owls a commanding 24-10 lead early in the fourth quarter. BEST CATCHIt didn't happen until it was too late to matter, but Chris God- win's 30-yard reception downfield showed his ability to get up and get the football. By that point, the Nittany Lions' passing game had been so re- duced that the reception almost came as an afterthought. WORST DROPPenn State linebacker Brandon Bell got loose on Walker's back side, knocking the ball loose and into defensive end Torrence Brown's hands. The play gave the Nittany Lions great field position early in the second quar- ter, but they were unable to capitalize. BEST SACKParis Palmer got worked on the left side of the line early in the second quarter, and it was as ugly as Penn State fans' worst nightmares. Temple defensive end Haasan Reddick juked, then absolutely unloaded on Hackenberg for a 5-yard sack. Two plays later, Reddick and the Owls would get to Hackenberg again, this time for a 9-yard loss. BEST HITOn a kickoff return, Koa Farmer might have had the game's best hit. He demolished Temple's would-be tackler on the return unit. BEST EFFORTWho could argue with Temple's entire operation getting this nod? For a program that hadn't beaten Penn State since 1941, the Owls had a packed stadium, a ready team, and the right strategy to take down the Nittany Lions. It was a complete effort and wor- thy of respect. BEST KICKWith his team facing a 10-7 deficit late in the third quarter, Temple place-kicker Austin Jones sent a 40- yard attempt through the uprights to tie the score. With momentum swinging in the Owls' direction, they wouldn't let up from there. BEST RETURNFarmer gave the Nittany Lions a chance to produce some points with his dynamic 35-yard kickoff return late in the first half. Between Farmer and Mark Allen, the Nittany Lions had some decent production there for the first time in Franklin's regime. BEST DECISIONHaving trouble push- ing into the end zone, Temple decided to go around the Nittany Lions' defensive line, rather than through it late in the first half. Jahad Thomas pulled wide left, skirting into the end zone on the misdi- rection for an easy 1-yard touchdown. WORST DECISIONPenn State simply had no answers on Saturday afternoon for the Owls once a little adversity started to show in the second quarter. To understand how bad the decisions were would be to know exactly what the Lions' choices were once the wheels started to fall off. That's unknown at this point. But regardless of what the options may have been, the decisions that resulted in Penn State's first loss to Temple since 1941 need to be thoroughly examined. They did not work. Period. MOST TELLING MOMENTPenn State's offensive line held its own through the first quarter, but once the Owls started mixing up the looks along the defensive front, the Lions looked lost. Suddenly, PSU's offensive line was inspiring flashbacks to the 2014 season, and Hackenberg took the brunt of the pun- ishment, suffering an almost-unreal 10 sacks on the day. Absolutely stagger- ing. – NATE BAUER JUDGMENT CALLS The best and the rest from the Nittany Lions' loss to Temple S E P t E m B E R 5 , 2 0 1 5 B l U E w h i t E o N l i N E . c o m 4 WORST DROP Penn State's Brandon Bell forces a P.J. Walker fumble on a blitz in the game's first half. Photo by Steve Manuel

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