FACTS & STATS: Site: Lincoln Financial Field (68,532) -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Television: ESPNU. Home Record: Penn State 6-1, Temple 2-2. Away Record: Penn State 1-2, Temple 1-4. Neutral Record: Penn State 0-0, Temple 0-0. Conference Record: Penn State 4-3, Temple 3-3. Series Record: Penn State leads, 32-3-1.

GAME NOTES: The Penn State Nittany Lions take a break from league play and head to Philadelphia for the first time since 1994, as they do battle with instate foe the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field this Saturday. The Lions come into the contest on a winning note, as they closed out the home portion of their schedule with a 26-19 triumph over Purdue last weekend. The win was the team's fourth in five games, improving Penn State to 7-3 on the season. Following this game, the Lions will travel to Michigan State, where they will conclude their regular season against the Spartans on November 17th. As for Temple, it was last in play on Friday November 2nd, when it suffered a 23-7 loss at Ohio University. The loss snapped the team's three-game win streak and dropped it to 3-6 overall. The Owls now return back home, where they have gone an even 2-2 following two straight wins. With regard to the all-time series, Penn State owns a commanding 32-3-1 advantage over Temple and that includes a 31-0-1 mark since the Owls won three of the initial four meetings. As a matter of fact, the Lions have won 24 consecutive meetings with Temple since a 7-7 tie back in 1950. The Owls' last win in the series came back in 1941, when they blanked the Lions, 14-0. Penn State has not appeared in Philadelphia since posting a 48-21 triumph over the Owls at Franklin Field in 1994. Under head coach Joe Paterno, the Lions are a perfect 23-0 against the Owls and that includes a 47-0 victory at Beaver Stadium last season.

The Lions have been effective on the offensive side of the ball this season, as they are producing 30.8 ppg behind 397.1 total ypg. The offense has displayed balance between the run (188.0 ypg) and pass (209.1 ypg), and it has also converted 47.0 percent of its third down attempts. Last weekend, Penn State rolled up 461 yards of total offense, including 251 via the run, in a 26-19 win over Purdue. Evan Royster led the charge with a career-high 126 yards and a score on 21 totes, while Rodney Kinlaw added 84 yards on 12 carries. For the year, Kinlaw leads the team with 894 yards and seven touchdowns and Royster checks in with 435 yards and four scores. Quarterback Anthony Morelli also had a solid game, completing 22-of-35 pass attempts for 210 yards and a touchdown. With that effort, Morelli went over the 2,000-yard passing mark for the second straight year, making him the first Penn State quarterback to ever accomplish that feat. For the season, Morelli has thrown 14 touchdowns against eight interceptions and he is averaging 206.0 passing ypg. He has done a good job of spreading the ball out, as four different players have caught at least 20 pass for the Lions this season.

On the defensive side of the ball is where Penn State has excelled this season, holding its opponents to just 17.6 ppg and only 301.2 ypg. The unit has been extremely tough to run against, yielding only 90.6 ypg and six touchdowns on the ground thus far. Getting to opposing quarterbacks is another strength of the Lions, who lead the nation with 40 sacks. Last weekend, Penn State registered four sacks, while holding Purdue to just 323 total yards in a wining effort. Sean Lee led the way with 12 tackles and two forced fumbles, while Maurice Evans logged a pair of sacks. Dan Conner added 11 stops and with that effort he moved past Paul Posluszny (372) as the Lions all-time leader in tackles with 379 for his career. On the year, Connor leads the team with 105 stops, but hot on his heels is Lee, who has 104 tackles to his credit. As for Evans, he is one of the top pass rushers in the nation, racking up 12.5 sacks and 21.5 TFLs to lead Penn State.

The Owls aren't an explosive team by any stretch of the imagination and they come into the game averaging just 18.9 ppg behind 316.3 total ypg. The team has struggled to run the ball (97.4 ypg) as well as to hang on to it, committing 23 turnovers. In last week's outing, Temple turned the ball over twice and gained just 209 total yards in a 23-7 loss at Ohio. Quarterback Vaughn Charlton got the start and he completed 17-of-25 tosses for a career- high 161 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. It was Charlton's first start of the year in place of injured Adam DiMichele, who is expected to miss the remainder of the season with a fractured left tibia. Bruce Francis didn't seem bothered by the change of quarterbacks, as he pulled down eight passes for 101 yards and a score in last week's loss. For the year, Francis leads the Owls with 41 catches, 656 receiving yards and six scores. In the backfield, Jason Harper paces the team with 441 yards and four touchdowns, although he is averaging only 3.6 yards per carry.

Defensively, Temple has improved significantly over the last several weeks and it is now giving up 28.2 ppg and just 370.9 total ypg. The unit though, needs to step up against the run, allowing 173.9 ypg on the ground. Last week, the Owls were abused by Ohio for 404 total yards, including 219 via the run. The defense didn't force a single turnover in the game and that was a bit surprising considering Temple had generated 19 miscues through its first eight games. Alex Joseph guided the team in defeat, as he registered an impressive 18 tackles. He now ranks third on the team with 53 stops for the season. Junior Galette also posted his team-high sixth sack of the year in the loss to Ohio.

Penn State is clearly the pick here, as the Lions have the better defense and offense. Expect the Lions to score early and often as they cruise past the Owls this weekend.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Penn State 42, Temple 7

Saturday, November 10th, 12:00 p.m. (et)