Temple football coach Al Golden was asked Monday whether the 3-0 Owls have closed the gap with 22d-ranked Penn State, which hosts Temple on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
"The gap is huge," said Golden, a former Penn State tight end whose team faced his alma mater in each of his first four seasons at Temple. "They outscored us, 154-9, over the last four years. But from Temple's standpoint, it's wonderful to have an in-state rival. We appreciate and are grateful that Penn State wants to play this game, and support college football in Philadelphia."
On Monday, it was announced that the teams will add the 2014, 2015, and 2016 seasons to their series, which already had meetings scheduled for 2011 and 2012.
The Nittany Lions were ranked fifth in the nation last season when the Owls visited them on Sept. 19, and left with a 31-6 loss that had some positives for Temple. Penn State, which was up by 21-3 at intermission, finished with 359 yards of total offense. In '08, the host Lions rolled up 546 yards on their way to a 45-3 victory.
A crowd of 105,514 saw the Owls challenge the Nittany Lions in '09. A similar turnout is expected Saturday.
"They cut us to ribbons," Golden said about last year's game. "We have to tackle better, and be able to slow them down. They're going to have a big crowd behind them, and guys understand what the odds are here. But we have to control what we can control, and we have to get it on our minds right now to go up there and play well. The biggest thing is trying to hang in there and keep it close."
After the loss to Penn State last season, Temple won its next nine games and finished 9-4 - a cochampion of the Mid-American Conference East Division.
The Owls ended the season with their first bowl appearance in 30 years, a 30-21 loss to UCLA in the EagleBank Bowl in Washington.
Last week, against Big East Conference opponent Connecticut, Golden earned his first win over a Football Bowl Subdivision team.
"It was a hard-fought, physical game against an opponent with a good resum?," Golden said. "But that game is in our rearview mirror."
Robinson, Pierce honored. Temple defensive end Adrian Robinson, who was the 2009 MAC defensive player of the year, was named the Walter Camp Foundation national defensive player of the week for his performance in the Owls' 30-16 victory.
In that game, the junior returned a fumble 24 yards for the go-ahead touchdown and finished with four tackles and two forced fumbles.
Running back Bernard Pierce, who rushed for 169 yards and scored three touchdowns, was named offensive player of the week in the MAC East Division. Pierce is a sophomore out of the Glen Mills School.
"The gap is huge," said Golden, a former Penn State tight end whose team faced his alma mater in each of his first four seasons at Temple. "They outscored us, 154-9, over the last four years. But from Temple's standpoint, it's wonderful to have an in-state rival. We appreciate and are grateful that Penn State wants to play this game, and support college football in Philadelphia."
On Monday, it was announced that the teams will add the 2014, 2015, and 2016 seasons to their series, which already had meetings scheduled for 2011 and 2012.
The Nittany Lions were ranked fifth in the nation last season when the Owls visited them on Sept. 19, and left with a 31-6 loss that had some positives for Temple. Penn State, which was up by 21-3 at intermission, finished with 359 yards of total offense. In '08, the host Lions rolled up 546 yards on their way to a 45-3 victory.
A crowd of 105,514 saw the Owls challenge the Nittany Lions in '09. A similar turnout is expected Saturday.
"They cut us to ribbons," Golden said about last year's game. "We have to tackle better, and be able to slow them down. They're going to have a big crowd behind them, and guys understand what the odds are here. But we have to control what we can control, and we have to get it on our minds right now to go up there and play well. The biggest thing is trying to hang in there and keep it close."
After the loss to Penn State last season, Temple won its next nine games and finished 9-4 - a cochampion of the Mid-American Conference East Division.
The Owls ended the season with their first bowl appearance in 30 years, a 30-21 loss to UCLA in the EagleBank Bowl in Washington.
Last week, against Big East Conference opponent Connecticut, Golden earned his first win over a Football Bowl Subdivision team.
"It was a hard-fought, physical game against an opponent with a good resum?," Golden said. "But that game is in our rearview mirror."
Robinson, Pierce honored. Temple defensive end Adrian Robinson, who was the 2009 MAC defensive player of the year, was named the Walter Camp Foundation national defensive player of the week for his performance in the Owls' 30-16 victory.
In that game, the junior returned a fumble 24 yards for the go-ahead touchdown and finished with four tackles and two forced fumbles.
Running back Bernard Pierce, who rushed for 169 yards and scored three touchdowns, was named offensive player of the week in the MAC East Division. Pierce is a sophomore out of the Glen Mills School.
