Zordich TD lifts Penn State

Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA

For three quarters, Temple positioned itself to erase seven decades of futility against Penn State.

All it took was one gutsy call to restore some order for the Nittany Lions.

After missing two field goal attempts, Penn State converted a late fourth down and Michael Zordich (Cardinal Mooney) made the gamble pay off with a 1-yard run to stretch the Nittany Lions’ winning streak against Temple to 29 straight games in a 14-10 victory on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field.

Penn State (2-1) had its field goal unit on the field for the tying attempt.

High above the field in the press box, Joe Paterno ordered a timeout and a change in plans — the Nittany Lions would go for it.

On fourth-and-1 on the 3, Brandon Beachum (Cardinal Mooney) rushed for 2 clutch yards. Zordich followed with the easy score with 2:42 left and the Nittany Lions led for the first time in the game, giving the thousands of fans who made the trip a reason to roar in celebration.

“Coach makes big money to make those calls. Not me,” said defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, who ran the sidelines without Paterno. “I was OK with it, sure.

“We were playing well on defense, and we knew — if we got stopped there — that we’d be able to get out there and get the offense back in a pretty good position.”

Aided by a defensive penalty, the Owls drove to the 34 on their final possession. Mike Gerardi, who threw two costly interceptions in the fourth quarter, was sacked on fourth down to end the drive and the upset bid.

“I really felt like we were going to go down the field and score,” Temple coach Steve Addazio said.

In his first season, Addazio is the latest coach to learn it’s about impossible for the Owls to beat Penn State.

The Owls led for most of the game and gave their intrastate rival one of the biggest scares in this series. For all the strides Temple has made in its program the last five years, it still can’t beat Paterno and the Nittany Lions.