Penn State report card — Temple
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Quarterbacks -- B+
Becht continues accuracy (72.2%) with four TDs and no picks. Early red-zone work not his best. Missed open Rapp in end zone. Manske got one late carry.
Running backs -- C
Second straight C grade. Hansen (19-84) hasn't distinguished himself, even though he gets most of carries. Peoples (7-42) ran harder. Wallace (1-2) touched it just once, and Martin was strangely not called upon.
Offensive line -- C
Not dominant. Becht was sacked just once, and the backs' protection helped. Short-yardage attempts weren't great. Riker (center) false started in red zone.
Receivers/Tight End -- B-
Two TDs for Brahmer (5-79). Rapp (1-5) drew praise for blocking. He and Finn were flagged for false start and drifting upfield. Sowell (5-58) scored but dropped TD. Howard (3-68), Zay Rob (3-34) flashed.
Offensive coaching -- C
Spread 13 catches to five WRs. Another flanker screen TD. Took deep shots, including first play. Did some wildcat and played four FBs at once. Troubles in red zone and couple curious third-down calls.
Defensive line -- C-
Ends lost contain, which allowed Temple to control clock. Kemajou had Lions' only sack, but he, too, struggled vs. run. Loss of Granville hurts. Ezeogu made four stops and QB hurry. Taupaki added TFL.
Linebacker -- B
Rojas was most decorated of the group, and he's living up to it so far. Seven tackles plus interception he returned to Temple 5. Two stops each for Ebel and Tatsch, the latter making season debut.
Secondary -- B
Collins broke up two passes and unit only allowed late 39-yarder. Otherwise 21 Temple passes produced just 68 yards. Jeremiah Cooper (four tackles) is a hitter.
Defensive coaching -- C
Campbell noted some lapses that allowed Temple to gain confidence in first half. Tackling overall not good. Owls converted three of first four on third down but Nits closed hard, allowing 1-of-6 in fourth quarter. No defensive penalties.
Special Teams -- C
Barker has been automatic so his 33-yard miss in perfect conditions was a jolt and contributed to bad start. Bounced back with two FGs. Tiyce only punted once. Z. Robinson busted a 19-yard punt return.
The other guys -- B
Temple, given its history, gave pretty good account of itself. PSU transfer Smolik 10-of-16 passing and rushed for 71 on seven tries. Keeler could have gone for fourth-and-1 from his 34 down 17-3 in third quarter.
Overall grade -- C+
Very average game from Nits. Failed to cash in on early 56-yard pass to Koby, along with Rojas interception. Will be costly against a better opponent.