Temple vs. Penn State: Live Scores, Analysis and Results

Penn State 24, Temple 13 -- Final Score

Penn State came into this in-state rivalry looking for a second-straight win and looking to avoid a loss to Temple for the first time in 30 games between the schools since 1941. With the bad-blood game coming up to start conference play against Illinois, a win would be critical for the Nittany Lions.

Behind a strong effort from FB Michael Zordich and the defense, a win is exactly what the Nittany Lions achieved today. The defense held the Owls to 237 total yards of offense, and 80 of those came on the final drive after the game was well in hand. About the only thing the defense did not do was generate a turnover, although two forced fumbles were caused.

Matt McGloin once again led a vibrant passing attack as he picked apart the Temple defense with a lot of time provided by the offensive line. Although 317 passing yards is always a good achievement, the 173 rushing yards is a season-high and a good sign heading into Big Ten play.

For Temple, this game will lead them to another bye week before starting in Big East play for the first time since being kicked out of the conference in 2004. Temple has a solid defense and should win some games in that conference, especially with the departure of West Virginia.

For Penn State, this win will provide confidence and a few more things for Big Ten teams to think about when preparing for the Nittany Lions. A good win over a rival and Penn State looks like a possible contender in the Leaders Division once again. The times might not be so dark in Happy Valley after all.

Thanks for reading today! I am the Big Ten Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and can be reached on Twitter for more comments. See you later in the week (and later today with 10 things we learned from the Nittany Lions today)!