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Penn State offense buries memory of 2015 loss to Temple

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William Deemer, Ryan Dailey duo propel Wilkes past Misericordia

<p>This couldn&#8217;t be happening again.</p><p>Not in another game against Temple that already took Nyeem Wartman-White away from Penn State last year.</p><p>Not the week after the Nittany Lions already lost to one major in-state opponent and were struggling to hold off another.</p><p>Not on a day when the university relented a bit and at least acknowledged the 50th anniversary of the first game coached by Joe Paterno &#8212; who recruited Wartman-White out of Valley View High School long after turning Penn State into &#8220;Linebacker U.&#8221;</p><p>But that well-stocked cupboard of linebackers &#8212; filled with a crew current coach James Franklin called, &#8220;The best in the nation,&#8221; &#8212; went bare fast.</p><p>Wartman-White was the last man standing from a corps that at least temporarily lost starters Jason Cabinda and Brandon Bell to injuries two weeks into the 2016 season. And then, late in the first quarter, fifth-year senior Wartman-White was gone for the rest of the game, giving the Lions a whole unit of sidelined starters.</p><p>When Wartman-White limped off the field with a torn ACL last year, Penn State&#8217;s invincibility against Temple, built on 74 years of constant beatings, began to crumble with an unthinkable 27-10 loss to the Owls.</p><p>This time, an unheralded walk-on named Brandon Smith made sure the Lions didn&#8217;t collapse.</p><p>He made eight tackles on a moment&#8217;s notice Saturday. He made the most of the first extensive collegiate action at linebacker while calling the defensive sets and plays from the middle. By all accounts, he made the guy he was covering for, Wartman-White &#8212; along with the rest of the Lions &#8212; pretty proud.</p><p>Mainly because Smith, an inexperienced red-shirt junior whose presence should have sent red flags up in the stands at Beaver Stadium the minute he took the field, made a big difference.</p><p>&#8220;So happy for Brandon Smith,&#8221; Penn State coach James Franklin said.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re all happy for him,&#8221; Lions tight end Mike Gesicki agreed.</p><p>After a whole career of waiting, Smith was just happy to get a chance.</p><p>Any chance.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s kind of surreal,&#8221; Smith said. &#8220;After the game was over, I was just thankful for the opportunity.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s been a long road.&#8221;</p><p>His path to finally playing nearly a full game of football on Penn State&#8217;s defense was a difficult one to navigate.</p><p>He was barely recruited by big-name schools coming out of Lewisburg High School, despite recording over 100 tackles for three straight seasons and being named to three consecutive Pennsylvania Class 2A all-state teams.</p><p>And when he arrived in Happy Valley, Smith was almost immediately asked to switch positions.</p><p>Paterno was famous for trying to turn just about everyone into a linebacker, most notably NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, who wound up going to Miami instead.</p><p>Paterno&#8217;s successor, Bill O&#8217;Brien, tried to switch Smith from linebacker to fullback.</p><p>&#8220;I switched to fullback, back to linebacker, just waiting for my opportunity,&#8221; Smith said. &#8220;It got tough. Coach O&#8217;Brien moved me to fullback at the end of my freshman year. I spent a spring, a summer and the first half of a season begging to be back to linebacker.&#8221;</p><p>After two seasons of inactivity at Penn State, Smith saw some limited action in three games last season and made his first tackle. He was also named the Lions&#8217; scout team co-Defensive Player of the Year, along with Dallas High school grad Ryan Monk.</p><p>But his real impact came Saturday, when Smith was called in to man the spot of Wartman-White and helped Penn State hold onto a 34-27 victory over Temple.</p><p>&#8220;Obviously not the best circumstances,&#8221; Smith said. &#8220;But I was excited for my opportunity, just thankful for the opportunity to play. It&#8217;s what I&#8217;ve been praying for and hoping for. It&#8217;s been a four-year process, just working hard.&#8221;</p><p>It takes more than practice to come into a game situation cold and come out as a hot playmaker. Like a seldom-used pinch-hitter in baseball, it takes dedication, desire and determination to stay ready for a moment that can change the outcome of the game, all the while knowing that moment may never come.</p><p>&#8220;He&#8217;s a guy I&#8217;ve always looked up to and tried to follow,&#8221; Penn State senior defensive tackle Parker Cothren said, &#8220;because his work ethic is unbelievable. He&#8217;s always ready to go. His number got called today and he had a great game.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Paul Sokoloski</p><p>Inside the Huddle</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Paul Sokoloski at 570-991-6392 or on Twitter @TLPaulSokoloski</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Paul Sokoloski Inside the Huddle: Brandon Smith steps in and makes a difference for Penn State