Two deep.

Two words that are very special to the Penn State Nittany Lions football program this season. Those two words resemble resiliency, they resemble determination, and quite frankly they resemble one heck of a great recruiting job by Head Coach James Franklin and his staff.For the first time since the NCAA sanctions hit the program, PSU is two deep at every position on the field. That might not seem like much of a luxury, but it is, considering most big time college football programs are three and four deep at each spot.That also means that players, coaches, and fans can no longer use the excuse of scholarship limitations and depth if it loses a football game. Penn State football is now free from all that and free to make an impact on the 2015 college football landscape.Standing in its way in week one is the sneaky good Temple Owls. Las Vegas sees the Owls as just plain good as Sin City only have the Nittany Lions as a 6.5 point favorite. The game is on the road, but don't expect it to feel like much of a road game as many Penn State alumni populate the City of Philadelphia. There's no doubt Lincoln Financial Field will be mostly decorated with PSU fans come 3:30 p.m. (ESPN).Honestly, though, Temple is a pretty solid test for Penn State right out of the gate. The Owls return 10 starters from a talented defense a season ago and also return seven starters on offense, including their starting quarterback and running back.This game to me isn't so much about the Penn State defense being able to stop Temple. I mean, obviously they have to stop Temple, but what I mean by that is Temple's offense doesn't scare me.The Nittany Lions return seven starters from a highly touted defense, which ranked in the top 10 in all the major categories. The Penn State defense is fast, it can cover, and its front four will make things easier on the linebacker and secondary units this season because they're going to be able to generate pressure. Defensive tackles Anthony Zettel and Austin Johnson are the best one-two DT punch in the BIG 10 if not in the country, so I think Penn State will be fine there this afternoon.Most anyone who follows Penn State football, knows that the key to success not only in week one, but for the rest of the season is the play of the offensive line. Can they give junior quarterback Christian Hackenberg the time he needs to get the ball to the many weapons at his disposal this season? Can they give Akeel Lynch and the nice stable of backs behind him room to run? That's really all it comes down to folks. If the offensive line, which returns four starters and welcomes the top JUCO tackle in the country in Paris Palmer, can do their job effectively, some pretty exciting things could be on the horizon for this football team.That's why I believe this Temple game is the most important game to date for James Franklin and his staff. I also believe its Christian Hackneberg's most important ball game, so far in his career as well.Both Franklin and Hackenberg are working with the most talent they've had since coming to Happy Valley. It's important early on to let Hackenberg "spin it" and let him operate at a fast pace. That's when the junior gun slinger is at his best, making calls, reading defensives, and making quick decisions.Hopefully, the year of the bubble screen is over and Franklin and his offensive staff look to make more plays downfield, because the weapons are there. Wide receivers DaeSean Hamilton, Chris Godwin, Saeed Blacknall, and Geno Lewis are all primed to do just that. Add in redshirt freshman DeAndre Thompkins and true freshman Juwan Johnson and Penn State could have the deepest wide receiving unit in the BIG 10.Like any opener, taking care of the ball and getting off to a good start are vital. I don't think there's a Penn State fan in the place who want to see a Temple pass rush that shows promise early on and is getting solid hits on Hackenberg.If you give a team like Temple, which is a very hungry football team looking to take the next step, an inch, there's no doubt it's going to take a mile.Some things to look for on Saturday that I haven't mentioned are the play of the Penn State running backs and the play of the linebackers.Akeel Lynch will be looking to cement himself as the every down back, while Nyeem Wartman-White is taking over for all BIG 10 performer Mike Hull at middle linebacker. Keep an eye on those two guys this afternoon.As noted, Las Vegas has Penn State a 6.5 point favorite. I like the Nittany Lions to win 34-14.