There was 9:34 left on the game which Penn State got the ball on their 4-yard line, leading 15-12 over a very game Temple side. The was very much in the balance, when freshman quarterback Rob Bolden took the Nittany Lions on a 12-play, 96-yard, 6-minute drive that won the game.
This might be the game that is the catalyst for the Lions season. During the drive Bolden passed for two first downs on third and long, and with Evan Royster and Michael Zordich running hard, Penn State had an offence that could cause some trouble in the Big Ten this season.
First Bolden completed a 19-yard pass to Graham Zug on third and 6 from the 8, and a 27-yarder to Justin Brown on third and 8 from the Lions’ 41. The pass to Brown was thrown a split second before Bolden was nailed by Temple’s Jaiquawn Jarrett.
“I think something like this is good for him,” Paterno said. “He had to make a drive, and he threw some very good passes. I think he has to enjoy it a little more. I said as we were warming up, ‘Just forget that you are only 12 years old, go out and have some fun. Everyone is trying to treat you like a baby.’ I told him to keep playing because he is going to be very good.”
Bolden went 3 for 4 for 58 yards during the big drive and finished 18 for 28 for 233 yards. Until the big drive, the day had belonged to the Penn State defense, which shut down Temple after the Owls has scored 13-points in the first quarter and forced four turnovers.
Not a great performance by Penn State but there are some good things to take from the game. The defense improved as the game went on and it was a welcome sight to see Evan Royster run for a career-high 187 yards. As I mentioned, the play of Bolden in that last drive was really good.
From the disappointing, before the touchdown drive, Penn State had marched inside Temple’s 26 seven times, including three trips into the red zone. The result was five field goals, one missed field-goal attempt, and a failure to convert a fourth and 1. That needs to improve as Penn State begins the Big Ten part of it’s schedule next week at Iowa.