September 22, 2012 at 2:20 PM

Defensive line

Last week, Penn State’s front four helped clog up the rushing lanes in the 34-7 win over Navy, which rushed the ball a total of 60 times. Defensive end Deion Barnes has proven himself as a well-qualified pass rusher, as he tallied his second forced fumble last week. Temple’s defensive line returned only one full-time starter from last year, nose tackle Levi Brown. The Owls have eight sacks on the year in just two games, so producing pressure hasn’t been an issue so far. But with the Lions’ fortified defensive line, look for Penn State to stand out in this one.

Advantage: Penn State

Linebackers

Michael Mauti continued to turn heads last week as he had another double-digit tackle performance, including two tackles for a loss. Gerald Hodges also made a large impact on the game, securing an interception in the first quarter last week. The Owls’ linebacking corps has been highlighted by the play of redshirt freshman Nate Smith, who has totaled 18 tackles and an impressive three forced fumbles so far. Yet, with Penn State’s defensive leadership primarily being provided from this position, I expect the Lions’ linebackers to once again reign supreme.

Advantage: Penn State

Secondary

Though the Lions’ secondary has yet to produce an interception in 2012, this isn’t to say it hasn’t been playing well overall. Stephen Obeng-Agyapong had what coach Bill O’Brien called the best game of his career against Navy, producing nine tackles and laying some huge hits on the Midshipmen. The Temple secondary is the most experienced part of its defense and safety Vaughn Carraway had the team’s only pick of the year, returning it 57 yards for a touchdown against Villanova in week one. Yet, the Owls got torched by Maryland for two long passing touchdowns last week against Maryland in route to a 36-27 loss.

Advantage: Penn State