After 74 years, Temple finally beats Penn State

HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 17: Head coach Matt Rhule of the Temple Owls walks near the sideline the field in the first half of their game against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium on October 17, 2014 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) 1st June 1928: American statesman Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882 - 1945) smiling when he heard that he was leading the contest for Governor of New York State. He later became the 32nd President of the USA. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Temple beat Penn State 27-10 on Saturday. Prior to this, it had been quite a while since the Owls had downed the Nittany Lions in a football game.

How long, you ask?

Try 1941, and no, Joe Paterno was not coaching the Nittany Lions that season. The overall rivalry wore a 39-3-1 advantage for Penn State heading into this year's game.

The Owls were not monumental underdogs despite the track record, coming in getting seven points if you follow that sort of thing.

Penn State defeated Temple 30-13 last year, marking its 31st consecutive victory in the "rivalry."

However, back to 1941. What else was going on in the world in 1941?

• The year is dominated in history by the Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7.

• The president was Franklin Delano Roosevelt on Oct. 18, 1941, when Temple blanked Penn State 14-0. Philly.com in 2011 found someone who was at the game.

• A college football game in Youngstown, Ohio, included something used for the first time: the penalty flag.

• Joe DiMaggio had a 56-game hitting streak in 1941.

• Ted Williams hit .406, the last time a major-league player broke the .400 mark.

• There was no Tour De France due to World War II. The British Open was also skipped for the same reason.

• If you were looking for an omen, maybe this would be it: Whirlaway won the Triple Crown that year, and American Pharoah captured the trifecta this year.