Week 2 report · Sat, Sep 12 · 2026 Week 2in trend: Weeks 0, 1 and 2 go under

AP #16Penn State
3–3 · Ours #12 enteringOur rank going into this game, from the rankings page. The board's line comes from the betting model, which sees more than this one number.
27–9FinalWe had PSU 40 – TEM 19

Temple
2–4 · Ours #91 enteringOur rank going into this game, from the rankings page. The board's line comes from the betting model, which sees more than this one number.
Win chanceOur odds before kickoff: how often each team won outright when we played the game out thousands of times from our line.
PSU 90%PSU won
PSU 90%PSU wonSpreadOur last pregame odds pull, usually inside the hour before kickoff. A median of the books we track, not a sharp close. First seen at PSU −23.PSU −24oursOur computer's point spread for this game, built from team stats, not from the betting odds. Read it like a betting line: −7 means we have that team winning by 7. −21.1 · TEM covered by 6
TotalOur last pregame odds pull, usually inside the hour before kickoff. A median of the books we track, not a sharp close. Our total was 58.6.51final 36 · under by 15
Our callThe side our number took at the early-week line, graded at that line. Line value is how far the market moved toward it by the last capture before kickoff.
TEM +23.5Wlost 0.5 to the close
TEM +23.5Wlost 0.5 to the closeQuarterbacksthis game

Rocco Becht21/27 · 268 yards
- EPA / dropbackExpected points added per dropback (passes and sacks) in this game. The percentile is among every 2026 FBS quarterback game with 10+ dropbacks.
- +0.5988th pct
- Comp %
- 77.8
- TD
- 3
- Turnovers
- 00 INT · 0 fum
- Sacked
- 1

Jaxon Smolik10/16 · 59 yards
- EPA / dropbackExpected points added per dropback (passes and sacks) in this game. The percentile is among every 2026 FBS quarterback game with 10+ dropbacks.
- −0.851st pct
- Comp %
- 62.5
- TD
- 0
- Turnovers
- 11 INT · 0 fum
- Sacked
- 1
Relieved in Q2 by Ajani Sheppard
The matchupthis game · ▲▼ better or worse than the unit's usual · percentile vs every 2026 team game
Penn Stateoffense | Played like PSU +12.4Fitted from non-garbage efficiency; describes how the game was played, not who deserved it. | defenseTemple![]() | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49th | 41.3%▲0.1 | Success rateSuccessShare of plays that kept the offense on schedule, outside garbage time. | 41.3%▲6.5 | 51st |
| 51st | +0.06▼0.01 | EPA / playEPA/playExpected points added per play, outside garbage time. | +0.06▲0.18 | 49th |
| 84th | +0.48▲0.32 | PassingPassingExpected points added per dropback, outside garbage time. | +0.48▼0.18 | 16th |
| 16th | −0.23▼0.23 | RushingRushingExpected points added per run, outside garbage time. | −0.23▲0.44 | 84th |
| 79th | 0▲0.8 | TurnoversTurnoversInterceptions and lost fumbles: giveaways for the offense, takeaways for the defense. | 0▼0.3 | 21st |
Templeoffense | defensePenn State![]() | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39th | 38.6%▼3.9 | Success rateSuccessShare of plays that kept the offense on schedule, outside garbage time. | 38.6%▼1.3 | 61st |
| 13th | −0.24▼0.43 | EPA / playEPA/playExpected points added per play, outside garbage time. | −0.24▲0.21 | 87th |
| 2nd | −0.88▼1.11 | PassingPassingExpected points added per dropback, outside garbage time. | −0.88▲0.73 | 98th |
| 72nd | +0.20▲0.04 | RushingRushingExpected points added per run, outside garbage time. | +0.20▼0.19 | 28th |
| 41st | 1▼0.5 | TurnoversTurnoversInterceptions and lost fumbles: giveaways for the offense, takeaways for the defense. | 1▲0.2 | 59th |
Team statsthis game · percentile vs every 2026 team game
Penn StatePSU | TempleTEM | |
|---|---|---|
| Special teams & field position | ||
| Average startWhere the team's drives started on average. | Own 3993rd | Own 192nd |
| Kicking vs expectedKickingPoints from field goals and extra points against what an average kicker makes from the same spots. | −1.3 pts19th | −1.4 pts17th |
| Drives & pace | ||
| PlaysOffensive plays outside garbage time. | 6367th | 4427th |
| Drive pointsThe part of the final margin the offense moved the ball for (efficiency, success rate, big plays, finishing drives), in points. A margin over the opponent. | +0.651st | −0.649th |
| Turnovers & hidden points | ||
| Penalty first downsPenalty 1st downsFirst downs the team was handed by the opponent's penalties. | 371st | 05th |
| 4th downsPoints from going for it on fourth down, against what the average team gets from the same spots. | −0.6 pts18th | +0.6 pts82nd |
| Hidden pointsPoints from outside the offense's drives: turnovers, field position, kicking, fourth downs, penalty first downs, return touchdowns and safeties. A margin over the opponent. PSU +10.5: turnovers +2.6, field position +7.1, kicking +0.1, 4th downs −1.5, penalty first downs +2.3. | +10.590th | −10.510th |
Season so far
Penn State3–3 · 64th-hardest schedule
W
vs Marshall45–0covered −23.5
vs Marshall45–0covered −23.5W
at Temple27–9missed −24
at Temple27–9missed −24W
vs Buffalo55–13covered −40
vs Buffalo55–13covered −40L
vs Wisconsin20–24missed −10
vs Wisconsin20–24missed −10L
at Northwestern13–34missed −2.5
at Northwestern13–34missed −2.5L
vs USC23–31missed +1
vs USC23–31missed +1
Temple2–4 · 67th-hardest schedule
Wvs Rhode Island38–14covered −14.5
L
vs Penn State9–27covered +24
vs Penn State9–27covered +24L
at Toledo48–49covered +5
at Toledo48–49covered +5L
vs Army17–21missed +3.5
vs Army17–21missed +3.5W
at South Florida17–13covered +5.5
at South Florida17–13covered +5.5L
vs UConn20–34missed −3.5
vs UConn20–34missed −3.5Model cfb_best · uncertainty ±15.5 · run Sep 12, 10:05 AM EDT · froze at kickoff and graded as-is