Temple Owls vs Penn State Nittany Lions Match Player Stats On Nov 15, 2014

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 15, 2014

Penn State 30, Temple 13: Akeel Lynch rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown and the host Nittany Lions took advantage of five turnovers in the second half to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2011.

Penn State (6-4) held Temple to just eight first downs while beating the Owls for the 31st straight time. Christian Hackenberg struggled, completing only 12-of-26 passes for 112 yards, but the Lions rushed for 254 yards and turned five second-half turnovers in Temple territory into 17 points.

P.J. Walker finished 17-for-38 for 187 yards with four interceptions for Temple (5-5). His lone highlight was a 75-yard scoring pass to Jalen Fitzpatrick. The Owls need to win their final two games to become eligible for a bowl bid.

Sam Ficken's 50-yard field goal on the final play of the first half gave Penn State a 6-3 lead in a battle of two of the top-10 defenses in FBS play. The Owls tied the game at 6 midway through the third quarter before Penn State broke open the game as Lynch and Bill Belton rushed for touchdowns to build a 20-6 lead.

Walker's long scoring pass to Fitzpatrick closed the gap to 20-13, but Grant Haley notched the Lions' third interception of the day and returned it 30 yards for a score, and Penn State added a field goal after a Walker fumble to cap the scoring.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Penn State entered ranked sixth in scoring defense while Temple was 10th. ... Ficken is 7-for-7 on field goals over 40 yards. ... Penn State's final drive of the first half was kept alive by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on a Temple defender for a throat-slashing gesture.