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FACTS & STATS: Site: Lincoln Financial Field (67,594) -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Television: ESPN. Home Record: Penn State 1-1, Temple 1-0. Away Record: Penn State 0-0, Temple 1-0. Neutral Record: Penn State 0-0, Temple 0-0. Conference Record: Penn State 0-0, Temple 1-0. Series Record: Penn State leads, 36-3-1.

GAME NOTES: The Penn State Nittany Lions travel to Philadelphia for a much- anticipated clash with in-state foe Temple this weekend.

After crushing FCS foe Indiana State as expected to open the season, Penn State experienced a massive leap in competition level last weekend when Alabama came to town. Unfortunately for the Nittany Lions, they were no match for the Crimson Tide, falling by a 27-11 final. If coach Joe Paterno's squad can bounce back strong this weekend with a win, it is highly likely that the Lions will carry a 3-1 record into the start of Big Ten play on October 1.

As for Temple, it is under the guidance of new head coach Steve Addazio, who filled the void created when the successful Al Golden left to lead the University of Miami. Addazio is off to a strong start, as his Owls have won their first two games by a combined score of 83-10. Last weekend, they opened Mid-American Conference play with a 41-3 romp over Akron.

Penn State owns a commanding 36-3-1 series lead over Temple, which includes a 22-13 triumph over the Owls last season.

Against Alabama, Penn State managed just 251 total yards. Two quarterbacks saw significant time under center, and neither Rob Bolden nor Matt McGloin was impressive. McGloin finished an embarrassing 1-of-10 for zero yards, while Bolden connected on a mere 11-of-29 throws for 144 yards with no scores and a pick. Silas Redd paced the ground attack with 65 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.

Redd has been impressive for Penn State through two outings, as he has run for 169 yards and three scores while averaging five yards per attempt. As for the quarterbacks, Bolden has taken more of the snaps and has been the better passer as well as the more effective runner. It is unclear whether or not Paterno will continue to give McGloin a chance to play despite his extremely slow start.

As for the Nittany Lion defense, it certainly put up a fight against Alabama. Sure, the Crimson Tide posted 359 yards and three touchdowns, but Nick Saban's team held the ball for over 34 minutes. With that in mind, Paterno can be proud of his defense's effort despite the loss.

Through two outings, Penn State is yielding 17.0 ppg and just 264.5 total ypg. With three takeaways and a pair of sacks, the Nittany Lions have made some impact plays, but there is certainly room for improvement. Gerald Hodges and Michael Mauti have both posted 14 tackles for PSU.

Switching focus to Temple, it is posting 41.5 ppg and 445.5 ppg thus far, impressive numbers for an offense that leans heavily on the ground attack. The Owls are averaging 272.5 rushing ypg, and eight of their 11 touchdowns have come via the run. Bernard Pierce is a tremendous tailback who has posted 297 yards and six touchdowns on just 38 carries. As for TU's quarterback, Mike Gerardi has completed 56.8 percent of his passes for 328 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Pierce was dominant against Akron, logging three touchdown runs in the second quarter en route to 150 rushing yards for the game. Gerardi threw for just 93 yards and a score, but he didn't have to do much in the laugher.

As tremendous as the Temple offense has been, it can be argued that the defense has been even better. The Owls are yielding a mere 5.0 ppg and 272.0 total ypg, and they have already come up with six takeaways, including four interceptions. Kevin Kroboth has two interceptions to his credit, while Morkeith Brown has notched a pair of sacks.

Temple held Akron to 3-of-14 success on third-down conversion attempts and 1- of-4 on fourth downs, two of many impressive stats from the contest. The Owls allowed just 42 rushing yards on 28 attempts by the Zips, and they also permitted Akron to connect on just 16-of-34 passes.

It is hard to believe that Temple is actually capable of beating Penn State, but that is indeed the case. Expect the Nittany Lions to narrowly edge the Owls in what should be a tremendous football game.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Penn State 23, Temple 20