It wasn't pretty at times, but Penn State walked out of Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon with a comfortable 27-9 win over Temple. The Nittany Lions needed a second-half surge to shake off a stubborn Owls side, and they got it from the two ends of the roster. Quarterback Rocco Becht found his rhythm after a rusty opening stretch, while linebacker Tony Rojas set the tone early on defense. Together, they are the players of the game.
Becht is the most experienced signal caller in the FBS, and he showed why in the second half. After a shaky start that kept the game closer than Penn State would have liked, the quarterback settled into a groove that broke Temple's resistance. The defining stretch came when Becht completed 12 straight passes, a run that began at the end of the first half and carried into the first couple of minutes of the third quarter. That composure allowed the Nittany Lions to pull away late and turn a nervy afternoon into a comfortable win.
The numbers through two games are exactly what Penn State hoped for when they brought Becht in. He has thrown seven touchdown passes and no interceptions in his first two appearances for the Nittany Lions. In a game that had all the makings of a trap, with Temple hanging around early, that kind of efficiency from the starting quarterback was the difference. The offense found its feet when it mattered, and Becht was the reason.
Where Becht took over in the second half, Rojas was the anchor in the first. The linebacker's early interception steadied a defense that was facing a Temple side clearly intent on keeping the scoreboard tight. That turnover settled things down, giving Penn State the platform to work through its early offensive struggles without falling behind. It was the kind of moment that prevents an upset before it ever really takes shape.
Rojas did more than just make the one big play. He finished as the team's leading tackler for the second straight week, piling up seven total tackles on the day. The combination of the turnover and the consistent tackling output made him the defensive standout, even as the game wore on and the offense took center stage. The early pick set the tone; the tackles kept Temple from ever building any sustained momentum.
The redemption tour for Rojas is officially underway. After a season that left him with something to prove, the linebacker has started this campaign with back-to-back strong performances. The Big Ten should be on notice, because if Rojas keeps playing at this level, Penn State's defense has a genuine difference-maker in the middle of the field.
The win moves Penn State to 2-0, and while the performance wasn't flawless, the result was never truly in doubt once Becht found his range. Temple made things awkward for a while, but the Nittany Lions had answers on both sides of the ball. Becht provided the offensive firepower, and Rojas made sure the defense never gave Temple a way back into the game.
According to Yahoo Sports.