Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/728475
GAME GRADES QUARTERBACK Once again, a turnover from Trace McSorley is what kept the opponent in this one. That's becoming a bit worrisome, but it's still only his third game. Fans should be much more worried if those fumbles and interceptions are still happening come November. GRADE C+ RUNNING BACK Saquon Barkley was injured early, but he was able to return in the second half. Mark Allen, Andre Robinson and Miles Sanders needed the playing time and they performed as ex- pected. Overall, the backs didn't have a great day statistically, but I also think Temple deserves a lot of credit when it comes to deciphering what the Lions planned to do. GRADE B RECEIVER It was clear right from the start that Penn State had a big advan- tage against Temple's defensive backs. While separation is still an issue at times, DeAndre Thompkins should help with that. GRADE B+ OFFENSIVE LINE Overall, I thought this unit had a solid day. Temple didn't have many issues determining whether it was a run or pass play, so at times, it may have looked like this unit was struggling, but really, it had more to do with Temple just knowing what was coming. GRADE B DEFENSIVE LINE Parker Cothren had one of his best games, recording seven total tackles. Torrence Brown also got some pressure on Walker, but aside from those two, it's still very clear that this unit has to get more physical. GRADE C- LINEBACKER One of Penn State's nightmares may be playing out, as all three opening-day starters appear to be banged up now. Walk-on Brandon Smith came in and played great. He de- serves a ton of credit. GRADE C+ DEFENSIVE BACK I was surprised with how much success Temple had against Penn State's secondary today. On one hand, they were down nearly the entire game, so Penn State was going to play it safe. But at the same time, they allowed 286 yards passing against a quarterback that completed just 47 percent of his passes against Army and Stony Brook. GRADE C+ SPECIAL TEAMS Penn State's im- provement in the punt game was evi- dent early in the game, as the Nittany Lions were able to pin Temple at the 1- yard line on their first attempt. They also produced a few nice punt returns, while Tyler Davis remains perfect on the season. GRADE B- COACHING Mixed bag today. On of- fense, Penn State continues to have success, but I think it was also pretty clear that Temple knew what was com- ing in that second half, especially in run situations. On defense, it was tough to tell how much Brent Pry adjusted with so many starters missing at times today. Sometimes, you can only do so much. GRADE C+ S E P T E M B E R 1 7 , 2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 6 R Y A N S N Y D E R | B L U E W H I T E I L L U S T R A T E D