Unhappy Valley

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Ack!

Senior quarterback Adam DiMichele injured his right shoulder on the sixth play of the game as Penn State ruined an otherwise beautiful afternoon with a 45-3 victory over Temple on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.

DiMichele was injured on a sack by Penn State’s Aaron Maybin, and never returned to the playing field. The Owls were able to hang in a scoreless tie with the Nittany Lions for 15 minutes before surrendering 31 points in the second quarter.

Backup quarterback Chester Stewart was sacked six times and the Owls managed just 138 yards on offense.

The Temple defense simply gave up too many big plays. Three different times in the second and third quarters, a Penn State running back broke through the Owls’ first line of defense for a big gain -- covering 27 yards, 32 yards, and 69 yards. The last two went for touchdowns. PSU quarterback Daryll Clark completed 13 of 20 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns.

Still, before the onslaught, the Owls had their chances. The Lions fumbled four times in the first half, including two when they were deep in their own territory, but recovered all four. Temple got several long kickoff returns from Jamal Schulters and Travis Shelton, including a 74-yarder by Shelton. But they were never able to turn good field position into points.

Without DiMichele, and without a running game, Stewart found himself in an impossible situation in his first significant college action. He finished 16 of 30 for 116 yards with three interceptions.

Afterward, Coach Al Golden announced that DiMichele would be sidelined for "awhile" and that Stewart will get the start when the Owls host Western Michigan next week. Junior quarterback Vaughn Charlton said he had not been told whether he'll begin taking regular practice reps this week or whether the Owls will continue with their preseason plan to redshirt him. He said he would likely get the answer to that question on Sunday.

Golden Postgame: Listen to Audio