Temple falls to Penn State despite a first half fight

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Mike Livingston | September 12, 2026

Temple gave Penn State reason to sweat Saturday, but costly mistakes prevented the Owls from sustaining their upset bid in a 27-9 loss at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Owls (1-1) held No. 16 Penn State scoreless for most of the first half and took an early 3-0 lead, but a defensive miscommunication allowed the Nittany Lions to score seconds before halftime. 

Temple continued moving the ball despite playing without several offensive linemen and running back Sam Brown, yet an interception, penalties, and a blocked field goal kept the Owls from converting promising drives into points. Penn State capitalized after halftime, using improved third-down execution to pull away.

Temple head coach K.C. Keeler believed the Owls showed they were capable of keeping the game close, but refused to treat their competitiveness as an accomplishment.

“We’re disappointed—no moral victories,” Keeler said. “If we had played cleaner, I think we had a chance for it to be a tight one at the end.”

Penn State immediately tested Temple’s defense with an explosive completion on its first offensive play, moving deep into Owls territory. Temple recovered, however, keeping the Nittany Lions out of the end zone before the ensuing field-goal attempt missed.

The defense delivered an even more imposing stand later in the opening quarter. Linebacker Tony Rojas intercepted quarterback Jaxon Smolik and returned the ball inside Temple’s five-yard line, but the Owls denied Penn State on three consecutive plays and forced another unsuccessful field-goal attempt.

Smolik responded to the turnover by helping Temple produce its best drive of the first half. His long run moved the Owls into Penn State territory before connections with tight end Peter Clarke helped them reach the red zone.

Temple inserted Ajani Sheppard for his first snap, but his pass sailed beyond Jayce Freeman in the end zone. The Owls settled for a Carl Hardin field goal and a 3-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Penn State answered with a field goal, but Temple remained tied with the Nittany Lions until the closing seconds of the half. An Owls personal foul stalled another promising possession, giving Penn State enough time to mount the drive that changed the complexion of the game.

Quarterback Rocco Becht found tight end Ben Brahmer for a 23-yard touchdown after a miscommunication in Temple’s secondary, sending the Owls into halftime trailing 10-3. Cornerback Saboor Karriem accepted responsibility for the breakdown.

“That play was completely on me,” Karriem said. “That was my man. If I could have it back, I’d probably play it a little bit more. But that was my sole mission right there. I’ve got to be able to get that done.”

Temple emerged from halftime believing it remained within reach. The Owls advanced far enough for Hardin to attempt a 52-yard field goal, but Penn State blocked the kick and responded with the game’s first sustained stretch of offensive control.

Becht completed a screen pass to Chase Sowell, who carried it into the end zone to extend the Nittany Lions’ lead to 17-3. After Temple’s ensuing possession ended quickly, Penn State added a field goal and pushed the margin to 17 points.

The Nittany Lions’ ability to extend drives proved especially damaging. Temple had repeatedly forced Penn State off schedule during the first half, but Becht and the offense began converting third downs after the break.

“Third-down conversions became the game-changer in the second half,” Keeler said. “We did a really good job in the first half, but they got us. We just lost some discipline on where our eyes should have been defensively on a couple of plays, and that really cost us.”

Temple’s offense operated with an altered game plan throughout the afternoon. Keeler said four offensive linemen whom the staff considered potential starters were unavailable, leaving the Owls with a true freshman at left tackle and a converted guard at right tackle. Brown, Temple’s projected starting running back, was also held out as he continued recovering from injury.

Those absences required Temple to give its tackles additional protection and rely heavily on short passes to its tight ends. Clarke frequently chipped Penn State’s edge rushers before releasing as a receiving option, while Keveun Mason continued carrying the rushing load after his 158-yard performance against Rhode Island.

The Owls also abandoned the even quarterback rotation they used in the opener. Smolik received most of the snaps against his former team, while Sheppard entered for designed packages.

“We felt Jaxon was the guy who could best keep this offense in rhythm,” Keeler said. “We tried to get some more consistency instead of just rotating and mixing it up.”

Smolik saw progress in Temple’s ability to compete against a ranked opponent, but said the performance also exposed how much the Owls must correct before traveling to Toledo next Saturday.

“We played well, but not well enough,” Smolik said. “In my eyes, we have a lot of things to fix. We can get those things fixed and be a really great team. We’ve got to practice hard, do those things, and accomplish it.”