Temple to Host #18 Penn State Saturday

Date

Saturday, Sept. 12

Time

12 p.m. ET

Location

Philadelphia, Pa.

Broadcast

ESPN2

PHILADELPHIA – Temple football continues its season-opening homestand on Saturday, September 12, as the Owls welcome No. 18 Penn State to Lincoln Financial Field. Kickoff between the in-state rivals is set for 12:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.

Temple and Penn State will meet for the 46th time on Saturday, with the Nittany Lions holding a 40-4-1 advantage in the all-time series. The last meeting between the programs in Philadelphia produced one of the most memorable wins in recent Temple history, as the Owls defeated Penn State 27-10 in 2015. Temple sacked Nittany Lions quarterback Christian Hackenberg 10 times in the victory, including three sacks from Tyler Matakevich.

Game Central: Penn State

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Things to Look for in Week 2...

A Chance at 2-0

Temple enters Saturday looking to begin a season 2-0 for the second consecutive year. The last time the Owls started 2-0 in back-to-back seasons was in 2010 and 2011.

A Top-Tier Win

A win would be Temple's first win over a ranked opponent since 2019 when the Owls topped #23 Memphis in Philadelphia.

BIG10 Battle

Saturday marks Temple's first matchup against a Big Ten opponent since 2023. The Owls are 3-4 against Big Ten opponents since 2015, including a 1-1 mark against Penn State. Temple has outscored the Nittany Lions 54-44 across those two meetings.

Keeler vs. Campbell

The two head coaches share a unique piece of college football history. Campbell was a player at Mount Union when the Purple Raiders carried an NCAA-record 54-game winning streak into the 1999 postseason. On December 11, 1999, Keeler's Rowan team ended that streak with a 24-17 overtime playoff victory. More than 26 years later, Keeler and Campbell meet again from opposite sidelines in Philadelphia.

Penn State head coach Matt Campbell is one of six first-year head coaches Temple will face in 2026. K.C. Keeler went 3-0 against first-year head coaches last season, with Temple outscoring those opponents 129-61.Temple's defense recorded two interception returns for touchdowns against Rhode Island, the first time in program history the Owls produced multiple pick-sixes in the same game.
Temple will recognize its 2016 American Athletic Conference Championship team at halftime, with more than 50 members of the championship squad to be honored.

Last Time Out

Temple opened the 2026 season with a 38-14 win over Rhode Island at Lincoln Financial Field. Running back Keveun Mason rushed for a career-high 158 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries as the Owls totaled 227 yards on the ground. Quarterbacks Jaxon Smolik and Ajani Sheppard both saw action, with Smolik throwing an 18-yard touchdown to Jayce Freeman on his first career pass attempt.

The defense added a pair of scores as Jamarcus Pierre and Tyree Alualu each returned interceptions for touchdowns. Temple forced three turnovers, held Rhode Island scoreless in the second half and limited the Rams to 97 rushing yards.

Top Performer: Keveun Mason • 20 CAR, 158 YDS, 2 TD • 192 All-Purpose Yards

Series History

All-Time SeriesPenn Stats leads, 40-4-1

Last MeetingPenn State, 34-27 • September 17, 2016

Last Temple WinSept. 5, 2015 • W, 27-10

Current StreakPenn State, 1

Temple By the Numbers

2Temple recorded two interception returns for touchdowns against Rhode Island, the first time in program history the Owls have had multiple pick-sixes in one game.

158Keveun Mason rushed for a career-high 158 yards in Temple's season-opening win over Rhode Island.

11Penn State returns to Philadelphia 11 years after Temple's 27-10 victory over the Nittany Lions at Lincoln Financial Field in 2015.

277K.C. Keeler enters Week 2 with 277 career victories, making him the winningest active head coach in the FBS.

Scouting # 18 Penn State 1-0 (0-0)

Last Time Out

W, 45-0 vs. Marshall

Key Player

QB Rocco Becht • 13-18, 271 YDS, 4 TD

Team Trend

Penn State opened the season with its first season-opening shutout since 2017.

Penn State opened the Matt Campbell era with a 45-0 victory over Marshall in Happy Valley. Campbell arrived in State College after spending the previous 10 seasons at Iowa State, where he became the winningest head coach in program history. Redshirt senior quarterback Rocco Becht followed Campbell to Penn State and brings one of the most experienced résumés of any quarterback in the country, entering the season with 40 career starts and 27 wins as a starter.

Becht immediately made an impact in his Penn State debut, completing 13-of-18 passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns against Marshall. The Nittany Lions were equally strong defensively, holding Marshall scoreless in Penn State's first shutout in a season opener since 2017. Defensive end Caleb Bacon finished with six tackles, all in the first half.

Stats

Up Next

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Saturday, Sept. 193:30 p.m.Toledo, OhioCBSSN

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