Temple Is Playing at Penn State on September 17th This Year

Coming off perhaps its best year ever, Temple announced its 2016 football schedule today. The biggest non-conference game is in Happy Valley.

Students in the Temple Owls student section cheer during the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Lincoln Financial Field on Sept. 5, 2015. Temple defeated Penn State 27-10. Photo | Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Students in the Temple Owls student section cheer during the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Lincoln Financial Field on Sept. 5, 2015. Temple defeated Penn State 27-10. Photo | Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Last year, Temple beat Penn State for the first time since 1941. That’s 74 years! Next season, they’ll travel to Happy Valley to try to make it two in a row. Temple announced that that game will be on September 17th when the team announced its 2016 football schedule.

Temple rallied from a 10-point deficit and ended up beating the Nittany Lions going away, 27-10, at the Linc last season. But winning on the road is a tougher matter altogether: The Owls lost 30-13 the last time they played in State College, and Penn State was 6-1 at home last season.

As for the rest of Temple’s non-conference schedule, it’s as if the Owls want to open 3-1 or 4-0 in order to build support for the proposed football stadium now under study. Temple opens with Army (2-10 last year) and Stony Brook (a team from the lower FCS division) at home to start the season before traveling to Penn State.

The Owls’ final non-conference game is against Charlotte on September 25th — another team that went 2-10 last year. One writer even went so far as to say Temple should drop Stony Brook from its schedule.

After the four-game slate out of conference, Temple plays eight games in the American Athletic Conference. The Owls went 10-4 last season, and won the AAC East Division championship.

Temple’s full 2016 schedule is below.

DateOpponent
Saturday, September 3ARMY
Saturday, September 10STONY BROOK
Saturday, September 17at Penn State
Saturday, September 24CHARLOTTE
Saturday, October 1SMU
Thursday, October 6at Memphis
Saturday, October 15at UCF
Friday, October 21USF
Saturday, October 29CINCINNATI
Friday, November 4at UConn
Saturday, November 19at Tulane
Saturday, November 26EAST CAROLINA

Home games are in all caps.

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