Penn State Earns Bowl Eligibility With Win Over Temple
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- In September, the NCAA made the decision to reinstate Penn State as a team eligible to compete in postseason play. The decision gave the Nittany Lions' season some meaning after the sanctions that hit the program.
Penn State was in the process of serving a four-year postseason ban that was handed down in the summer of 2012. The last time Penn State played in a bowl game was back in 2011 when the Nittany Lions lost to Houston 30-14 in the Cotton Bowl.
The last time the program won a bowl game was in 2009 when they defeated the LSU Tigers 19-17 in the Florida Citrus Bowl. That victory was vacated by the NCAA following the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
Today the Nittany Lions managed to defeat the Temple Owls 30-13. Each team entered the game with five wins and were in search of that all important sixth win that would make them bowl eligible for the season.
The game was close for the better part of three quarters, but turnovers began to plague P.J. Walker and the Temple offense down the stretch. The Nittany Lions capitalized and took full advantage of the Owls' mistakes.
The program also managed to capitalize on the opportunity that the NCAA gave them to return to postseason play.
Penn State will now wrap up their season on the road against Illinois and then at home against #12 Michigan State. Victories from this point forward can pad the Nittany Lions' resume in terms of exactly which bowl they will play in.
The Temple Owls will return home to face Cincinnati as they continue to seek that important sixth win.
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