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Penn State attempts to rough up another non-conference foe

Sep 20, 2008 - 10:06 AM Temple (1-2) at No. 15 Penn State (3-0), 12:00 pm EDT

STATE COLLEGE, Pennsylvania (Ticker) -- Before starting the Big Ten Conference portion of its schedule, Penn State will hope to cruise to another easy win against an overmatched opponent.

The 15th-ranked Nittany Lions host Temple on Saturday in their final non-conference game of the season.

Penn State has had little trouble over its first three games of the year, outscoring its opponents by a combined margin of 166-37. Daryll Clark threw two touchdowns as the Nittany Lions cruised to its third blowout victory Saturday, a 55-13 blitz of Syracuse.

"It's always a good thing when you score early," Penn State head coach Joe Paterno said. "I'm just not sure how good we're going to be yet. We can be a pretty good team, I think, if we stay healthy. We haven't faced any adversity yet, so we'll see."

Clark finished 10-of-21 for 163 yards and a pair of first-quarter scoring strikes to Jordan Norwood and Deon Butler.

With Penn State leading 21-0, Pat Devlin replaced Clark and picked up right where the senior left off.

Devlin, who was 8-of-13 for 130 yards, also teamed up with Norwood and Butler for second-quarter touchdowns to help the Nittany Lions build a 38-6 lead.

While Penn State is yet to play a meaningful second half this season, Temple has endured back-to-back heartbreaking losses that cost the Owls an undefeated start.

Drew Willy's 35-yard hail mary touchdown pass to Naaman Roosevelt as time expired dashed Temple's hopes last Saturday, leading Buffalo to a 30-28 triumph. The Owls suffered a 12-9 overtime loss to Connecticut a week earlier.

Temple is led by Adam DiMichele, who passed for 614 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions this season. He also leads the team in rushing with 117 yards.

Evan Royster has been the key to Penn State's rushing attack, compiling 306 yards and six scores on 38 carries. The sophomore has posted back-to-back 100-yard performances and collected 20-plus yard rushes in each of the three games this season.