Penn State Football: 3 Ways for Temple To Give the Nittany Lions a Scare

Temple is looking to knock off Penn State for the first time since 1941 and they may have some things playing in their favor to make a run at beating Joe Paterno for the first time in school history. Here are three keys for a Temple upset of the Nittany Lions.

1. Bernard Pierce Needs To Continue To Lead the Way

Temple running back Bernard Pierce is a special player and the offense will need him to have a great game in order to possibly upset Penn State. Last year Pierce had a strong performance against Penn State's defense, helping the Owls to take a lead in to the fourth quarter, so Temple knows that they can count on him to lead the team on Saturday. The trick will be stepping it up in other areas.

This will not be a game of shutting down running backs for either side, but instead a matchup of who can limit the effectiveness of the running game. Whoever slows down first will have the advantage.

Through two weeks, Pierce is tied for the national lead in rushing touchdowns (with Pittsburgh's Ray Graham), with six. He averages 7.8 yards per carry, although against lesser defenses than he will face on Saturday.

2. Penn State Passing Game under the Spotlight

It should go without saying that the play of the quarterback, or in this case the quarterbacks, will play a major role in this matchup. Penn State will use two quarterbacks once again as the competition for the full-time job is still up in the air according to Joe Paterno. The pressure will be on to one-up the other guy between Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin this weekend, and perhaps that can play in Temple's favor.

Adding to that, Penn State's pass blocking has been feeble through two games, even against Indiana State in the season opener. If Temple's aggressive defense can bring the pressure, they may be able to put enough pressure on Bolden or McGloin to create some problems. Penn State's quarterbacks have thrown zero touchdowns and Temple has turned four interceptions and come up with nine sacks.

3. New Coach, Same (Improved) Attitude

Joe Paterno said it himself—this may be the best Temple team he has ever faced. That is a lot of praise for a program that was once kicked out of the Big East for not being competitive in the conference and filling the stands.

This is not the same old Temple. Al Golden did a terrific job in creating a sense of pride within the program, but Steve Addazio has done a fine job with continuing to build on that philosophy.

Temple has outscored their opponents 83-10, which has helped to build that confidence level. They know that beating Penn State will be difficult, but they feel it is within grasp. Addazio noted what it would mean for the entire program to win a game like this against Penn State. Now, it's time to see just what the Owls are made of.

Kevin McGuire is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand or via official interview materials from Penn State University. McGuire is the national college football writer for Examiner.com. Follow his college football discussion on Google+ and Twitter. Become a fan of him on Facebook.