Lions win first half, then lose second half with Temple

Our Nittany Lions (2-1) exacted revenge upon Temple (1-2) on a nice day in St. Joe Memorial Stadium at Beaver, where the stands were noticeably far short of being packed to the rafters. The final score was 34-27, and it avenged last year’s loss to the Owls in Philly.

The Lions, who normally sleepwalk through the first half of noon kickoff games, must have had an early morning wake-up call from James Franklin, as they appeared alert and awake from the git-go. However, after emerging from the locker room at halftime with a 24-17 lead, Penn State allowed the mighty Owls to hang around and be in it until the end. Temple outscored Penn State in the second half 17-13. So the early morning wake-up apparently made them sleepyheads when the second half rolled around. No one would have or did, in fact, predict this phase reversal. [Read more…]