Backup Penn State linebacker makes most of chance

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Redshirt junior Brandon Smith became the most unlikely star of Penn State's 34-27 win over Temple Saturday, entering the game after middle linebacker Nyeem Wartman-White was injured late in the first quarter.

The 6-foot, 228-pound linebacker was in on eight tackles and admirably handled his signal-calling duties. Smith, who said he was intending to go to Penn before deciding on Penn State, said it was something he had long anticipated.

"I was just very thankful for the opportunity," said Smith, 22, who lives in Winfield, Pa., on the west branch of the Susquehanna River south of Lewisburg. "It's been four years that I've worked for this."

Asked if he wondered whether the opportunity never would come, he replied, "No. I was always ready. Like today, anything can happen. I was hopeful and I just kept my mind focused."

Coach James Franklin said Smith "broke down" the team in the locker room, meaning his teammates all gathered around him to celebrate the win.

"It was cool," Smith said. "I was just a little emotional and overwhelmed by all the support from the 120 guys or so just being there for me and rooting me on. This is family. We spend more time with each other than our actual families. So that's really cool."

Leading up to the game, Temple coach Matt Rhule talked about Penn State running back Saquon Barkley's being among the top backs in the nation. Rhule's opinion didn't change, especially when Barkley scored on a 55-yard run less than a minute after Temple had cut Penn State's lead to 27-24 near the midway point of the fourth quarter.

"He is really a special back and we weren't able to get in our gaps, so when it fell down to the second level we weren't able to get him down so that was a back-breaking play," Rhule said.

Temple running back Jahad Thomas made his debut after missing the first two games with a dislocated thumb.

Thomas had been unavailable to the media until after the game. He said was hurt in training camp.

"I stiff-armed a medicine ball and it popped out of place," he said.

Thomas, who rushed for 52 yards and two touchdown on 14 carries and caught six passes for 48 yards, said the injury was not a problem.

"It felt good and I was happy to come out of today's game feeling good," he said.

Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley had another productive day through the air, netting 287 yards on just 18 completions. But he fumbled a shotgun snap that hit him in the hands and threw an interception that coach James Franklin called "ugly."

"Turnovers will kill an offense," McSorley said. "You can't score points if you give the defense chances. That's something we need to start eliminating. I said the same thing last week. The more we continue to focus on it, the more we continue to work on it and we can only benefit from it."

Temple generated some momentum for the second half with its final drive in the first. Trailing, 21-7, the Owls marched 52 yards on six plays in 34 seconds, leading to Austin Jones' 45-yard field goal with four seconds left in the half.

"It was a momentum starter for us," said quarterback Phillip Walker, who completed 25 of 34 passes for 286 yards, and one interception, while scoring on a 1-yard run. "We knew as a group we were able to make players and [after that drive] our receivers started believing in themselves."