Nittany Sports Now

09/13/2026

Fair or foul?

The latest rankings are in, and Penn State has moved up. PSU has cracked the top 15, moving up from No. 16 to No. 15 in the Coaches Poll and from No. 16 to No. 14 in the AP. Not a major step, but a step nonetheless. This comes on the heels of Penn State’s […]

09/13/2026

Quinton Martin didn’t play for Penn State Saturday, and nobody at this point knows why

Penn State fans wondered where Quinton Martin was Saturday afternoon. Well, they figured he was in Philadelphia with the rest of the team. But with the offense struggling early on, many felt Penn State needed a spark and were perplexed that Martin wasn’t given a chance to provide one. The former h...

09/13/2026

Koby Howard may be generating the headlines, but Chase Sowell is quietly becoming an integral part of Penn State’s receiving corps.

After five catches for 58 yards and his first touchdown in the Blue and White against Temple, the veteran receiver is showing exactly why Matt Campbell brought him to Happy Valley.

Why Sowell’s experience, consistency and ability to respond to adversity are paying off for one of the nation’s highest-graded WR units.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa – Penn State has the No. 3 overall graded receiving corps in the country, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), with an 82.8 grade, trailing only USC and Miami. While Koby Howard might be generating many of the heads through the first two weeks, Chase Sowell has excelled in his r...

09/13/2026

“We’re off by an inch, but it’s a game of inches. And especially when you play on the road, you have to have great ex*****on. We didn’t do it.”

Philadelphia— Penn State could have ended the game in the first half. Instead, PSU led Temple just 10-3 going into halftime, with the last seven points coming in the last 10 seconds of the half. The reason Penn State wasn’t comfortably ahead was simple: it couldn’t score in the red zone. Three...

09/12/2026

“Our A players stepped up in A moments and made A plays,” Campbell said, “which is what you hope will happen in adverse situations. I thought those guys did a great job of that for sure.”

Philadelphia— Penn State didn’t take the proverbial “punch to the mouth” in Matt Campbell’s debut. PSU opened the Campbell era with a 45-0 win over Marshall, and truthfully, it could have been even one sided. Week 2 against Temple was a different story. Sure, Penn State handled the Owls we...

09/12/2026

Here are my instant thoughts from a relatively gritty afternoon in Philly.

From Philadelphia, Nittany Sports Now’s Joe Smeltzer gives his instant reaction to Penn State football’s 27-9 win at Temple Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.

09/12/2026

BREAKING: Max Granville OUT for season:

09/12/2026

Rocco Becht stayed 🔥 in Philadelphia.

After Penn State came away empty on two early scoring opportunities and fell behind Temple 3-0, Becht and the Nittany Lions settled in.

🏈 21-of-27 passing
🏈 268 yards
🏈 3 touchdowns
🏈 12 consecutive completions at one point

Benjamin Brahmer caught two touchdowns, and Penn State pulled away for a 27-3 victory in Matt Campbell’s first road game as head coach.

It was also Penn State’s first win at Lincoln Financial Field since 2011.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — It wasn’t an easy start for Penn State, which had to overcome miscues that left the Nittany Lions deep in Temple territory with nothing to show for it. That did not faze quarterback Rocco Becht. The senior continued his hot start, completing 21 of 27 passes for 268 yards and ...

09/12/2026

Big Ben making some big time plays.

PHILADELPHIA– Penn State has a deep tight end corps this season, which everybody has come to expect. But there’s one tight end that, at least from a pass-catching standpoint, is starting to stand out. Ben Brahmer led all Iowa State pass catchers with six touchdowns last season, and already has t...

09/12/2026

Inexcusable.

PHILADELPHIA– Penn State had two scoring chances early in its matchup with Temple at Lincoln Financial Field. It didn’t cash in on either of them. On the first play from scrimmage, Rocco Becht completed a 56-yard pass to Koby Howard that turned into a 66-yard gain thanks to a facemask penalty on...