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GAME NOTES: The fifth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions continue their less than impressive non-conference schedule this weekend, as they host the Temple Owls at Beaver Stadium.

A legitimate contender for the national title, PSU didn't exactly fill its non-league schedule with the toughest of opponents and therefor will likely need to go undefeated to participate in the BCS Championship game. With that said, the Lions have taken care of their first two opponents with relative ease, scoring a 31-7 victory over Akron to open the season and a 28-7 triumph over Syracuse this past weekend.

"I thought overall we played better, but I think we still have a ways to go," said head coach Joe Paterno following last weekend's game. "I think we showed some improvement, whether we showed enough I won't know until I look at some tapes."

The Lions, who cap a four-game homestand next weekend against Big Ten foe Iowa, have now won 29 of their past 31 games, including 10 in a row, at Beaver Stadium.

As for the Owls, they have had 16 days to prepare for this game following a 27-24 loss to rival Villanova in their season-opener on September 3rd. Temple returns 17 starters from last year's club, so it was obviously a disappointing to start to the season for head coach Al Golden and company.

"We have to do a better job, and we will," said Golden. "We'll get back to work. Again, I was not displeased with our effort; we were ready to play. We played aggressively. We played a hard fought game."

Things aren't exactly looking up for the Owls either, as they have had very little success versus PSU. The Lions not only lead the head-to-head series with Temple, 34-3-1, but they are 33-0-1 versus their instate rivals since the first four meetings. As a matter of fact, PSU has won the last 26 meetings with the Owls since the teams played to a 7-7 tie in 1950.

Turnovers made the difference in the Owls' opener, as they committed five costly miscues that allowed Villanova to come from behind and win the game on a 32-yard field goal as time expired.

"It's quite simple; I mean the bottom line was we turned the ball over five times and that's it," said coach Golden. "Thats where it begins and ends."

Quarterback Vaughn Charlton accounted for three of those turnovers on interceptions and the miscues ruined an otherwise solid night. Charlton, who sat out last season, had a career performance with 317 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-28 tosses, but that was all overshadowed by the interceptions.

Michael Campbell was his main outlet with five receptions for 93 yards and a score, while James Nixon made his only catch count, pulling in a 75-yard pass for a score. Kee-ayre Griffin paced the ground game with 70 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries and the sophomore is off to a decent start after rushing for a team-high 394 yards in 2008.

The Owls return nearly every starter on the defensive side of the ball, so this group figures to be the strength of the team. The defense though, was put in bad spots due to the turnovers in the opener and that opened the door for Villanova to score all 27 of its points in the second half. The unit did a nice job in holding Villanova to a mere 64 rushing yards on 36 attempts, but it was exploited for 293 yards through the air on 25-of-36 tosses. Temple did manage five sacks, but it could only muster one turnover and that wasn't enough.

Andre Neblett notched a pair of sacks in the loss, while Amara Kamara led the way with nine stops. It was a nice start for both players, but especially for Neblett, who only had one sack all of last year.

Offensively, PSU wasn't nearly impressive last weekend as in its opener, amassing only 318 total yards versus Syracuse after gaining 515 against Akron. The team rushed for only 78 yards last weekend and has yet to get its ground game moving. Defenses are overloading the box and that has slowed down Evan Royster, who has just 102 yards and two touchdowns on the ground thus far.

"I thought we did a little better job in blocking and I think we'll continue to improve," said Paterno. "It's tough when you got that many guys in the box and stunning the ball so much, but we obviously got to do a better job."

Opposing teams are committed to stopping the run and trying to force quarterback Daryll Clark to win the game and he has responded positively. Last weekend, Clark threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns, a nice follow up to his 353-yard, three-score effort in the opener.

Graham Zug was Clark's top option this past week with six catches for 79 yards and a score, while Royster hauled in two balls for 61 yards and a touchdown. Zug also caught a touchdown pass in the opener and he is emerging as a reliable target.

"I am very impressed with him, but I knew he had that type of game," Clark said of Zug.

PSU's defense appears to be in midseason form already, as the unit has dominated its first two opponents, allowing just two touchdowns and only 386 yards on the year. The group has been sensational against the run, holding Akron to just 28 yards and Syracuse only 65.

"We have a good feeling walking away from these first two games," stated linebacker Josh Hull.

The defense should certainly have a lot of confidence, after all the unit has recorded six sacks and even picked off a pair of passes against Syracuse. Hull had one of those interceptions and he also added 11 stops, while Sean Lee led the charge with 13 tackles and a sack last weekend.

This should be another easy one for PSU as it prepares for the upcoming Big Ten season. Expect the Lions to score early and often on their way to a third straight convincing win.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Penn State 38, Temple 7