It’s debatable how much Penn State football fans care about Saturday’s game.
Sure, they’ll watch, and many will make the trip to Philadelphia, if they don’t already live there.
But the reality is that PSU fans expect to beat Temple, and beat Temple handily.
So the nerves that come with a Big Ten game aren’t necessarily there for a program that has beaten Penn State once since World War II. On the other side, PSU DC D’Anton Lynn put it best.
“It’s the Super Bowl for Temple,” Lynn told reporters late Tuesday morning.
Lynn would know.
Having played at PSU from 2008-2011, and in each of those four seasons, PSU played Temple.
PSU went 4-0 in those games, but it wasn’t always easy.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.In 2010, Penn State trailed Temple at home 13-9 going into the second half, and only led by two going into the fourth quarter before grinding out a 22-13 win. The next season was even tougher.
Penn State trailed 10-7 going into the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field, and Temple kept that lead until Mike Zordich scored the winning touchdown with 2:42 left.
PSU’s next and most recent trip to “The Linc” didn’t go nearly as well.
Penn State came in as a 14-point favorite and lost by 17, making it one of the greatest days in the history of Temple football.
Temple is a 23.5-point underdog going into this one, but if Temple does fall short against Penn State, Lynn knows it won’t be due to lack of effort.
“We know that we’re going to get their best,” Lynn said, “so we have to prepare for that.”
