2026 PSU #16/16 at Temple

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General Pre-Game Information

LINK TO PSU-TEMPLE FINAL GAME STATS

• Game Two of 2026 season (12 Noon EDT kick time announced May 27)—This is the first road game of the 2026 season and the only non-conference road game. This is the first game Penn State (1-0) has played in Philadelphia since 2015 against Temple and was scheduled, in part, to be connected with the celebration of “America 250” (Semiquincentennial). This is the first of two games currently scheduled with Temple. PSU and the Owls will meet again in 2027 at Beaver Stadium (They have not played against each other in a decade). Penn State and Temple tied their games scheduled for the 1975 & ‘76 seasons to the Bicentennial when PSU moved its ‘75 home game with the Owls to Franklin Field in Philly and then they played the 1976 game at Temple’s primary homefield in that era, Veterans Stadium. This is the 71st Penn State game played all-time in Philadelphia (36-30-4)—Games have taken place at Franklin Field, Temple Stadium, Municipal Stadium (aka JFK), Veterans Stadium, and Lincoln Financial Field. Temple (1-0) is coming off its 2026 season & home opener vs. Rhode Island. The Owls won 38-14 riding Keveun Mason’s 158-yards rushing and 2 TDs plus a pair of pick-6’s from the defense. The Owls will have some familiar faces on their sidelines having picked up 4 former Penn State players in the Transfer Portal back in January—Jaxon Smolik QB (projected as 2026 starting QB after spring game, but in battle with Ajani Sheppard for job through camp and into game one in which Smolik threw a TD pass), Joey Schlaffer TE, Kolin Dinkins S, & Kaleb Artis DT. Smolik would be 2nd former PSU quarterback to transfer and start for Temple (if he wins job) following Steve Joachim (PS QB 1970-71) who played for the Owls in 1973 & ‘74 (Joachim never faced Penn State—he was the Maxwell Award winner in 1974). Kevin Newsome (PS QB 2009-10) sat out 2011 season, transferred, and only played in 2 games for Temple in 2012 (did not appear in Owls loss to PSU). Temple is expected to be without its starting LT Giakoby Hills due to injury in game one. Travel roster update for Big Ten in 2026—There is no specific limit as to how many players may travel to road games unlike the prior 74-man limit (travel roster expansion is due to the end of red-shirting). Penn State currently has 112 players on its active roster. Matt Campbell has inferred that players must earn their place on the travel squad.

• PSU in Road Openers since 1993 Big Ten debut season: 21-12—Last PSU Road Opener was a 42-37 loss at UCLA in 2025. Last non-conference road opener loss, 42-39 at Pitt in 2016 (PSU has won 26 straight non-conference regular season contests since that 2016 Pitt loss).

• Last PSU Game played (Sept. 5): Penn State 45 Marshall 0 in season opener at Beaver Stadium (debut of Matt Campbell coaching era)—1st opening day shutout since 2017 (PSU 52-0 over Akron)

• Current Week’s Rankings: AP Poll (released Sept. 8)-#16 PSU (up 2 spots from Week 1) / US LBM Coaches Poll (released Sept. 8)-#16 PSU (up 1 spot from Week 1)—Ohio State remains #1 in both polls/former #16 Michigan fell out of AP Poll and fell 8 spots to #24 in Coaches Poll after a controversial 1-point win over Western Michigan in Week 1

• Temple 2025 Record: 5-7 overall, 3-5 in AAC (closed 2025 season with 4 straight losses)—Head Coach: KC Keeler (2nd season)—Keeler has no history vs. PSU, but he did have contact, in a way, with Matt Campbell at one point when Keeler was head coach at Rowan (1993-2001). Rowan and Mount Union met in the 1999 NCAA Div. 3 semifinals in Ohio, and Campbell was a redshirt-Freshman Defensive Lineman with Mount Union that fall. Rowan would win that game, 24-17 in OT snapping the Purple Raiders 54-game winning streak. Campbell played DL at Mount Union from 1999-2002 (he spent his freshman season at Pitt in 1998). Note: a second playoff meeting between Mount Union & Rowan in 2005 (MU won 19-7) included then Raiders Grad Assistant Matt Campbell, but Keeler had moved on to coach at Delaware in 2002.

• 46th meeting with Temple all-time (1st meeting since 2016/4th meeting at the Linc/20th meeting away from State College): Penn State leads the series, 40-4-1 and is officially 12-4 all-time on the road & 3-0 at neutral sites. The series dates to 1931 and a 12-0 loss at Temple Stadium (Temple football debuted in 1925). Penn State’s first victory came in 1940 at Temple Stadium, 18-0 on 2 TDs by Pepper Petrella and 1 by Chuck Peters. PSU is unbeaten in 26 games at home vs. Temple with the lone tie in the series coming in 1950 at New Beaver Field. Penn State is 2-1 in three games played at Lincoln Financial Field with wins in 2007 (31-0) and 2011 (14-10) in addition to the lone Nittany Lion loss in 2015 (27-10). Note: PSU & Temple have met in 7 different venues over the years—Temple Stadium, New Beaver Field, Beaver Stadium, Franklin Field, Veterans Stadium, original Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands, and Lincoln Financial Field (only Pitt has faced the Nittany Lions in more locations—10).

• Last PSU Game vs. Temple (2016): The Nittany Lions avenged their 2015 upset loss in Philadelphia with a narrow 34-27 victory at Beaver Stadium. Trace McSorley passed for 287 yards and 1 TD and rushed for 1 TD in the 7-point win in Matt Rhule’s last season as Temple head coach. Penn State had 5 starters (4 on defense) out with injury and Saquon Barkley was also dinged up and missed a chunk of the game. Temple went on to win the 2016 AAC Championship with a 10-4 record—that team will be honored during this year’s game at the Linc.

• Last PSU Game at Lincoln Financial Field (2015): Former Nittany Lion (and current Nebraska Head Coach) Matt Rhule and his Temple Owls stunned James Franklin and company, 27-10 in the season opener at Lincoln Financial Field. PSU blew a 10-0 lead and QB Christian Hackenberg was sacked 10 times in the loss. Penn State had not lost to Temple since 1941. The 2015 loss ended a non-losing streak of 39 games (38-0-1) from 1943 through 2014 (a 1942 game was cancelled due to WWII issues). The Nittany Lions also had their 31-game winning streak snapped (dating to the 7-7 tie in 1950).

• The Bicentennial meetings with Temple (1975 & 1976): As part of Philadelphia’s celebration of America’s 200th birthday, PSU agreed to move its November 1975 game with the Owls from Beaver Stadium to Franklin Field to become the season opener on Sept. 6. Penn State officially regards this game as one of its three “neutral site” meetings in this series, but it was technically a “home” game for the Lions considering the tickets carried the Penn State seal (not Temple’s), media credentials were issued by PSU, and the gameday program was, in fact, a Beaver Stadium Pictorial. The 1975 meeting was a nailbiter for #6 PSU as it pulled out a 26-25 win. In October 1976 at Veterans Stadium (PSU’s first ever game at this venue), Temple officially played host and we had another squeaker with PSU pulling out its second straight 1-point victory in this series, 31-30. LINK FOR MORE ON THE BACK-TO-BACK BICENTENNIAL BATTLES

• PSU last game vs. a member of the AAC: PSU beat Memphis, 53-39 in the 2019 Cotton Bowl to cap an 11-2 season. Journey Brown rushed for a PSU bowl record 202 yards and 2 long TDs (32 yds. & 56 yds.).

• 1st Noon ET kick for PSU in 2026. Last Noon kick was the 2025 Pinstripe Bowl win over Clemson (22-10) in what was Terry Smith’s final game as Interim Head Coach—In all, PSU played 4 games at Noon ET in the 2025 season (the Lions were 2-2 in those games)

• Penn State’s new road white uniforms from Adidas—see images from July 1 reveal at Pegula Ice Arena at bottom

  TV/Radio Information

• ESPN2 Gameday Announcers: Anish Shroff (play-by-play) & Andre Ware (analyst) with Morgan Uber (sidelines)

• First game televised on ESPN2 since the 2022 Outback Bowl loss to Arkansas, 24-10. Last PSU game televised by any of the ESPN channels was the 2025 Orange Bowl/CFP Semifinal loss to Notre Dame (27-24) on ESPN

• This is the 2nd game this season to be televised on a non-traditional (non-broadcast) TV Network—The season opener vs. Marshall was televised by FS1

• Penn State Radio Network Announcers: Steve Jones (PBP), Jack Ham (Analyst), & Brian Tripp (Sidelines). Jones & Ham are in their 27th season in the booth together. Ham, a member of both the CHOF (1990) and Pro Football Hall of Fame (1988), played linebacker at Penn State (1968-70). Jones (Class of 1980) & Tripp (Class of 2011) are also Penn State grads. Available on Sirius XM: 123, 233, XM App