Temple will renew its in-state series against Penn State on Saturday, Sept. 12, at noon at Lincoln Financial Field. The Owls defeated Penn State 27-10 in their last meeting at the Linc in front of 69,176 fans on Sept. 5, 2015.

Each day before K.C. Keeler enters his office, he doesn’t have to look far to get a reminder of what the electric atmosphere of a Temple football game at Lincoln Financial Field can feel like. 

“The first thing I see is the GameDay set of us playing Notre Dame,” Keeler said in an interview with Underdog Dynasty. “The second thing I see is the huge mural of us beating Penn State at The Linc in front of 75,000.” 

Specifically, the mural depicts an aerial shot of a packed Lincoln Financial Field during the Owls’ stunning 27-10 upset of Penn State in front of 69,176 fans on Sept. 5, 2015. Following the victory, Owl fans rushed toward the Temple Diamond Marching Band section as the team gathered nearby to sing the Temple fight song, celebrating what was perhaps the biggest win in program history. 

Now, after a decade apart, the buzz is back in the air as the interstate rivalry returns, with Temple welcoming Penn State back to the Linc on Saturday, Sept. 12, at noon. The matchup is expected to draw Temple’s largest crowd in more than a decade. 

With the highly anticipated matchup on the horizon, here’s a closer look at what former Temple players, along with notable alumni, fans, faculty and staff, remember most about the 2015 game and what makes Penn State’s return to the Linc so exciting. 

Tyler Matakevich, EDU ’16, recorded three sacks in the victory against Penn State in 2015 and holds the Temple school record for most career tackles, playing nine years in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers.  

“The atmosphere was insane; our team was so locked in going into that game, and to see the stadium filled and rocking like it was, you couldn’t help but smile cause you dream of playing in stadiums like that. Given how long it truly had been since we beat Penn State, I remember how emotional people were after the game, especially those who had been on the team in years prior, and seeing how excited Owls fans were when it finally set in that we had won. So, to be a part of that Owls team is something I will always remember. I can’t wait for the game this year. I’m looking forward to heading back to watch with a few other guys. I talk smack to all the guys I’ve played with over the years who went to Penn State and remind them all the time about Temple. This is a great opportunity for the team to get the season started off right, and I know everyone is excited, seeing what Coach Keeler has done so far and where we are headed as a program!”  

P.J. Walker, EDU ’16, was Temple’s starting quarterback during the 2015 season before going on to play in the NFL, including with the Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns. 

“Wow, what a Saturday, week one opening game of the season with 69,000 strong in attendance. It was my first time seeing Lincoln Financial Field packed with so many fans for a Temple football game! I remember two things from that weekend: Jahad Thomas having such a big game (135 rushing yards and two touchdowns) and how dominant our Temple defense was, showing the college football world what Temple football was going to be that 2015 season. Being part of something so historic as the first Temple Owls football team to finally break the streak was an honor and absolute pleasure. Now to see this rivalry start back up after a 10-year-long hiatus is awesome. I’m excited to see the fans come out and support the Owls and Penn State. It’s always great for the culture of Pennsylvania and will always be fun to have that competitive feel throughout the state; it will be an awesome experience!”   

Rick Kristoff, FOX ’90, is a longtime Temple football fan and member of the Temple Temperors, a group known for traveling across the country to support the Owls in their signature red robes, oversized king crowns, homemade staffs and chalices. 

“Any time you have a highly rated program come into your stadium, it creates a buzz and excitement leading up to kickoff. The crowds came out in force in 2015, and the tailgating was boisterous and wild at a level that had not been witnessed in some time for a Temple game! We were optimistic as we knew we had players that could compete. The second half spoke for itself as the Owls dominated. I was worried that we would fall out of section C20 with all the jumping around! We absolutely got choked up when the clock hit zero. That day is a memory that will last a lifetime. Now I believe we have a coach in K.C. Keeler who has the potential to bring us back to the glory days of 2015 and 2016. It will be a great opportunity to rally the fan base and hopefully attract more fans to the Linc to watch our Temple Owls. We will represent in full force as usual and spread our love to the Temple community. I'm excited that there will be new faces in the crowd that will hopefully become a fixture at all future games. How can you not get hooked with the team fly-in and the greatest band in the land leading the way? I might have to break out the segway again and troll Lot K again.”

Kevin Negandhi, KLN ’98, lead anchor on ESPN’s SportsCenter and the College Football on ABC studio team, was in attendance for the Temple-Penn State game in 2015.  

“There was just a palpable buzz inside the Linc and that Temple was good enough to go head-to-head with Penn State. The physicality of Temple will always stand out in that game; our defense was in that backfield all day, as we had 10 sacks on Christian Hackenberg, who at the time was viewed as a high NFL draft pick. It left no doubt that we had arrived. The feeling after that Penn State game was that this wasn't one of those flash-in-the-pan wins; it was, we are here, and we are going to have a special season. To have a win like that, to basically punch them in the face and shock them the way we did was more of a relief, an emotional buildup of years of frustration and disappointment. It was a combination of a lot of different regimes, players that poured their heart out, a lot of people that believed in the football program, all coming together and finally, finally beating a team that treats us like a cupcake on the schedule, and we weren’t a cupcake that day. Now, looking at our team today, I am really happy that we have Coach K.C. Keeler. The most promising part of Keeler last year was that he put together a team that competed. Regardless of what happens in week two against Penn State, I believe K.C. has us on the right track. I’m looking forward to just how well we can compete all season and can we surprise people.”  

Breland Moore, KLN ’14, a sports anchor for FOX 29 News in Philadelphia, attended the 2015 Temple-Penn State game shortly after graduating from Temple. 

“It was the most insane weekend here in Philly. I had just graduated less than a year before, and I had tickets to the Made in America Festival on the [Benjamin Franklin] Parkway. I actually met my brother and sister to give them their tickets so that they could go ahead of me because I wanted to be at this Penn State game so badly. I had a good feeling; we had come close in previous years to knocking them off, and something told me this was the year. As time ticked on, I realized how correct that decision turned out to be. It was just an unbelievable experience to watch Matt Rhule’s team steamroll PSU. That Temple defense racked up 10 sacks; it was unreal. At the end of the game, my friends and I were able to get onto the field. Afterwards, we got on the subway and walked up the parkway to the festival, still in our Temple gear, and every outdoor bar and patio on the parkway was filled with Temple people cheering at us. It was one of my favorite memories of Temple sports. I'm looking forward to seeing the Linc packed again. I really believe in K.C. Keeler and his team, and it'll be fun to watch. There’s nothing quite like a Penn State game to really bring out that true Temple spirit. While it might not be as magical as 2015, it’s sure to be an excellent time, and I’m looking forward to it. Go Owls!”

Scott Gratson is director of undergraduate studies at the Klein College of Media and Communication and director of communication studies. 

“When Temple won, it was the talk of the town; the next time my class met, the students were all talking about it. We had three football players—Matt Ioannidis, KLN ’15; Colin Thompson, KLN ’16; and John Loughery, KLN ’16—come to class to invite my students to the next game. This year my students are again in the game, including newly arrived Jaxon Smolik, who is a quarterback. I just met Jaxon this summer, and he was in my online intro course and had to deliver a calf on the first day of class while he was on his family’s farm. I know that the excitement from the students will return as we begin the season. I am excited for them to play, but I also remind myself that they are students, young people with the hopes, concerns and dreams of any student. As such, I am here to support them, regardless of outcome or score, but yes, we want Temple to win. I hope that they know both situations are true and can coexist and we are very proud of them. Go Owls!”  

Richard Englert, former president at Temple, who now serves as the school’s chancellor. 

“Penn State has long been an invaluable partner of Temple over many years. The two of us are members of the Pennsylvania state-related universities (along with Pitt and Lincoln). Temple and Penn State collaborate on numerous instructional, research, health system and state initiatives benefiting the citizens of Pennsylvania. So, ours is a ‘within the family’ rivalry in sports. In 2015, we were all excited with a relatively new head coach (Matt Rhule in his third year at Temple) who was turning the football program around after a losing season in 2012 under the previous coach. And this year with second-year Coach K.C. Keeler, we are all excited with the direction of our football program. I see similarities in the two Temple coaches. My gut and heart say that there will be a similar Temple victory this year over the highly ranked Penn State football team. No matter what the result, our two universities will continue to collaborate on numerous educational, research, community service and health system projects in line with our core missions. Our areas of collaboration far outnumber our areas of rivalry.”  

Check out the Owls' 2026 schedule and get your tickets: 

Sept. 5 vs. Rhode Island
Sept. 12 vs. Penn State
Sept. 19 at Toledo
Sept. 25 vs. Army
Oct. 3 at South Florida
Oct. 10 vs. UConn
Oct. 17 vs. Charlotte
Oct. 31 at East Carolina
Nov. 7 at Navy
Nov. 14 vs. UAB
Nov. 19 vs. Rice
Nov. 27 at Memphis

David Boardman, dean of the Klein College of Media and Communication and the university’s chief strategy officer at Temple.

“Temple’s 2015 victory over Penn State is one of my highlight moments as a lifetime sports fan. The stadium was probably three-quarters Penn State fans, and to watch their shocked faces as the game progressed was pure joy. I’m hoping that this time there’s at least as much cherry and white in the stands as blue and white.”