Matt Campbell is familiar with Lincoln Financial Field. He has coached there twice, once as a graduate assistant at Bowling Green in 2004 and as Toledo’s offensive coordinator in 2011.
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But it’s also the home stadium of his former Mount Union teammate and roommate, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni. Campbell said he talked to Sirianni on Monday about playing at the Linc.
“Nick has been a great sounding board,” Campbell said Tuesday. “Obviously that relationship, that friendship, and having the ability to have somebody that’s kind of going through some of the same journeys has been huge.”
Campbell will face K.C. Keeler for the first time as head coaches when Penn State visits Temple on Saturday (noon, ESPN2). But the two coaches have crossed paths before. Keeler was the head coach of Division III Rowan and gave Campbell his only loss as a player at Mount Union in 1999.
The two in-state programs have played 45 times, with the Nittany Lions holding a 40-4-1 advantage. They last met in 2016, a 34-27 win for Penn State at Beaver Stadium.
“It’s the Super Bowl for Temple,” Penn State defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn said Tuesday. “We have to have that mindset when we go in there.”
Here’s how both teams stack up against each other:
Penn State’s offense vs. Temple’s defense
Penn State’s offense had a strong performance against Marshall in its season opener, but it also revealed areas of improvement.
The running game struggled, with starter Carson Hansen carrying the ball 11 times for 48 yards. Penn State averaged just 3.6 rushing yards in the game.
Quarterback Rocco Becht and his wide receivers made up for the run game struggles. Starting wide receivers Koby Howard, Brett Eskildsen, and Chase Sowell all present different threats for Temple’s secondary.
Howard excels after the catch, while Eskildsen is the fastest player on offense. Sowell, meanwhile, is the more physical wideout. All three had at least a 20-yard catch against Marshall.
Temple safeties Saboor Karriem and Kolin Dinkins and cornerbacks Denzel Chavis and Asa Locks, the secondary starters last week, may have their hands full disrupting the Nittany Lions’ passing game. The Owls’ defense, however, did account for three turnovers in the opener, which included two pick-sixes and a forced fumble recovery.
Temple’s offense vs. Penn State’s defense
Lynn’s first game as the defensive coordinator at his alma mater resulted in a shutout, allowing just 147 total yards to the Thundering Herd. Lynn said Tuesday they kept the play-calling simple as the defense masters the “core concepts” before adding new things to the game plan throughout the year.
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Temple’s offensive linemen also has taken a hit with injuries. Giakoby Hills and Luke Watson are confirmed out. Kevin Terry and Eric King arequestionable for Saturday’s game. It will be even more of a challenge to contain Penn State’s defensive line, who held Marshall to just 44 rushing yards last week.
“Got Penn State coming up, obviously it’s a big deal,” Keeler said. “I mean, they have all the Big Ten prototypical numbers. 6-foot-5, 6-foot-4, 310 [pounds], 330. [They are] long and athletic.”
The injury report doesn’t bode well for Temple running back Keveun Mason, who stepped in for the banged up Sam Brown and exploded for a career-high 158 rushing yards against Rhode Island. Brown’s availability is still up in the air for this weekend.
Temple’s trio of wide receivers, Colin Chase, JoJo Bermudez, and Jayce Freeman, remain a strong suit for the offense. Though Temple didn’t throw the ball much against Rhode Island, Chase and Bermudez were productive in their limited opportunities. Freeman caught the Owls’ lone passing touchdown in his team debut.
Another priority for Penn State will be Temple tight end Peter Clarke, despite his quiet season opener. Clarke had a career year in 2025 and earned second-team American Conference honors.
The Nittany Lions’ secondary was a key reason Marshall was held off the scoreboard, highlighted by cornerback Josiah Zayas, who became the first freshman defensive player to start a season opener for Penn State since John Reid in 2015.
Connections
Penn State had 50 players enter the transfer portal last December after its head coaching change. Four ended up at Temple: redshirt sophomore quarterback Jaxon Smolik, fifth-year defensive tackle Kaleb Artis, redshirt junior tight end Joey Schlaffer, and Dinkins, a fifth-year player.
Each played in the Owls opening win over Rhode Island, with Dinkins and Smolik starting. Dinkins had three tackles and his first career pass breakup.
Smolik, meanwhile, is in a quarterback battle. Both Smolik and Ajani Sheppard played in Week 1, and that’s not expected to change this weekend.
“No one took charge,” Keeler said after Temple’s victory over Rhode Island. “I mean, we’ll watch the tape, we’ll see how they each played. Ideally, we’d prefer not to play two equally, but we’re not going to live by any sort of, like, creed. Basically, we’re going to play whoever can help us win.”
Schlaffer and Artis didn’t log a stat in their first game with the Owls.
“I think both sides are just worrying about their team that they’re on right now,” Penn State offensive lineman Cooper Cousins said Tuesday. “Obviously have good relationships with all former players that have been here, in the program, outside of the program, but I think we’re all just kind of worried about our teams that we’re on right now.”
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