Penn State Opens Against Temple

PHILADELPHIA – When Penn State starts its 2015 at Temple on Saturday (3:30 p.m., ESPN) the Nittany Lions will be looking to continue a 39-game winning streak in the series that dates back to 1943. Penn State most recently defeated Temple in Beaver Stadium last season, 30-13, and traveled to Philadelphia in 2011 for a 14-10 victory.

The Blue and White enter the 2015 season opener with eight returning starters on offense and and seven from its vaunted defense which ranked amongst the best in the nation last season. Senior defensive tackle Anthony Zettel leads the group, garnering both preseason All-America and All-Big Ten honors.

Junior quarterback Christian Hackenberg enters the season poised to re-write the Penn State record books. He needs just 12 completions to tie Matt McGloin for second all-time in the category. He will be supported by talented and deep running back corps led by junior Akeel Lynch, who finished the 2014 season on high note becoming the team’s leading rusher. DaeSean Hamilton will be among his top targets, as the sophomore enters 2015 off a spectacular and record-setting freshman campaign.

Joining Hackenberg and Zettel as team captains are senior centerAngelo Mangiro, senior safety Jordan Lucas and junior linebacker Von Walker. Mangiro will look to anchor the offensive line, while Lucas, who is moving from cornerback to safety this season, is the unquestioned leader of the secondary.

Temple cannot be overlooked, as it will open the 2015 season with an experienced group. Twenty-one players have numerous starts, and 10 starters return to the defense, including leaders in tackles, sacks and interceptions. The offensive side returns seven starters, including at quarterback and running back. Signal caller P.J. Walker will have new targets though, with the loss of his top-two pass catchers.

After traveling across the Atlantic to open the 2014 season, the Nittany Lions will remain in-state for its first six games, as the Temple game will be followed by five consecutive home games.

Temple Head Coach Matt Rhule

Matt Rhule owns a 8-16 record and enters his third season as the head coach at Temple. This is Rhule’s second stint with the Owls, spending six years as the offensive coordinator from 2006-11.

He was the offensive line coach with the New York Giants during the 2012 season and has 17 years of collegiate coaching experience on his resume.

The State College native played linebacker at Penn State from 1994-97, earning Academic All-Big Ten honors as a senior. Rhule earned a Penn State degree in political science.

Scouting the Owls

Temple returns 47 letterwinners from the 2014 squad that sported a 6-6 overall record. The Owls reached bowl eligibility in the final game of the season, a 10-3 victory at Tulane, and marked the first time since 2011 they earned bowl eligibility.

Temple had a four-win improvement from 2013 to 2014 and have a host of experience returning this season. Of the 47 Owl letterwinners, 21 of them have extensive starting experience.

The defense returns 10 starters, including leading tackler Tyler Matakevich. The senior linebacker piled up 117 stops in 12 games, good for 9.8 stops per game. Praise Martin-Oguike, the 2014 sack leader for the Owls, returns after notching 7.5 sacks and 10.0 tackles for loss among his 37 stops. Defensive back Travon Young led the team with four interceptions and nine pass break up last season and returns for his senior season.

Seven offensive starters return, including quarterback P.J. Walker and running back Jahad Thomas. Walker logged 2,317 yards passing and 324 yards rushing and accounted for 16 total touchdowns. He threw 15 interceptions to 13 touchdown passes and completed 53.3 percent of his passes. Thomas gained a team-best 384 yards on the ground.

Though the passing game lost its top two pass catchers, Thomas made the most of his 14 receptions, averaging 26.0 yards per catch. His 364 yards ranked second on the squad. John Christopher caught 23 passes a season ago for 194 yards.

Most Common Opponent

Penn State and Temple have met 43 times on the gridiron, with the Nittany Lions owning a 39-3-1 overall record. The 43 meetings rank fifth in the PSU record books.

The only opponents Penn State has met more often are listed below.

Last Meeting: Penn State 30, Temple 13
November 15, 2014 – Beaver Stadium

Penn State used complementary football with a stellar performances on both sides of the ball to post a 30-13 win over Temple to become bowl eligible for the first time since the 2011 season. The Nittany Lions rushed for a season-high 254 yards and the Nittany Lion defense forced five turnovers.

Akeel Lynch ran for 130 yards on 18 carries for an average of 7.2 yards. He also rushed for his first touchdown of the season and second of his career. Bill Belton added 92 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. The 254-yard team rushing total was the highest since a 289-yard afternoon against Purdue last season.

Penn State defense’s five turnovers forced tied the season mark set against Rutgers. Adrian Amos and Jesse Della Valle, andChristian Campbell and Grant Haley – both true freshmen – each registered their first career interceptions on the day.

Haley returned his first career pick 30 yards for a touchdown. His touchdown was the first defensive touchdown by a true freshman since Paul Posluszny returned an interception against Indiana Nov. 15, 2003. It was also the first interception returned for a touchdown since Anthony Zettel’s pick-6 against Ohio State in October.

Linebacker Mike Hull had his sixth double-digit tackles performance of the season with 10 stops, including a half-tackle for a loss. Austin Johnson recovered his second fumble of the season and made four tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage. Anthony Zettel recorded his sixth sack of the year with a stop for a 2-yard loss.

Sam Ficken connected on three field goal attempts on the day, including a 50-yard attempt. It was the second make of Ficken’s career from beyond 50 yards, joining his 54-yard make against Kent State in 2013.

Penn State Season Openers

The 2015 season marks the 129th in Penn State history, with the Nittany Lions owning a record of 95-20-2 in opening games.

  The 2015 opener will be the third consecutive away from home for the Lions. It will also be the first time the Lions have opened the season with a true road game since opening at Minnesota in 1994.

  It will be the first time Penn State has opened three consecutive seasons away from Beaver Stadium since the 1971-73 seasons. The Blue and White defeated Navy, 56-3, in Annapolis in 1971, lost to Tennessee, 28-21, in Knoxville in 1972 and defeated Stanford, 20-6, in Palo Alto in 1973.

  Penn State played its second straight season opening game away from home when they defeated UCF, 26-24, in Dublin, Ireland in 2014. The Lions topped Syracuse, 23-17, at MetLife Stadium in 2013.

  The next four season openers (2016, Kent State; 2017, Akron; 2018, Appalachian State; and 2019, Idaho) will all take place in Beaver Stadium.

  The Lions have won their last two openers and 12 out of their last 13.

  Penn State’s longest streaks of winning their season openers are: 12 (1919-30), 11 (1893-1903), 10 (1973-82; 2002-11), 9 (1909-17), 7 (1942-48).

  Penn State has only lost consecutive season openers twice in school history; 1964-65, 1989-90, 2000-01. They have never lost three consecutive season openers.

  The Nittany Lions went unbeaten from 1909-30, winning 20-of-21 season openers. They tied Wissahickon Barracks, 6-6, in 1918 and the streak was stopped by Waynesburg, a 7-0 setback, in 1931.

Nittany Lions In NFL Venues

  In 2015, Penn State will take on Maryland at M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Super Bowl XLVII Champion Baltimore Ravens, to mark the eighth current NFL stadium the Blue and White have played in. Penn State also will travel to Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles, to face off with Temple in the season-opener.

  The Nittany Lions have also played in current homes of the Miami Dolphins (Sun Life Stadium), New Orleans Saints (Mercedes-Benz Superdome), New York Giants/New York Jets (MetLife Stadium), San Diego Chargers (Qualcomm Stadium), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Raymond James Stadium) and Washington Redskins (FedEx Field).

  The first documented Penn State game in a professional stadium was in 1921 when the Nittany Lions defeated Georgia Tech, 28-7, in front of 30,000 fans at the Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan in New York City.

  Excluding bowl games, the Lions have played 38 regular season games in 13 different stadiums with permanent NFL tenants.

  Four regular season games were played in NFL venues in 1983, as the Lions played in Giants Stadium twice (Nebraska and Rutgers), Veterans Stadium (Temple) and Sullivan (Foxboro) Stadium (Boston College.)

Coaching Staff Connections

  Temple head coach Matt Rhule played linebacker at Penn State (1994-97) and earned his degree in political science in 1997.

  Penn State cornerbacks coach Terry Smith coached the Temple wide receivers in 2013.

  Penn State defensive coordinator Bob Shoop hired Temple linebackers coach Mike Siravo as his linebackers coach at Columbia while he was the head coach for the Lions. They also worked together at Boston College from 1999-2000.

  Temple defensive line coach Elijah Robinson was a defensive lineman at Penn State from 2004-08 and served as a graduate assistant for the Nittany Lions 2007-11. He was the player development and NFL liaison from 2012-13.

PSU-Temple Connections

  Penn State redshirt freshman running back Mark Allen and Temple freshman defensive lineman Deandre Kelly played together on DeMatha Catholic’s (Hyattsville, Md.) 2013 conference championship team. Junior tight end Brent Wilkerson, Allen and Kelly were all on the DeMatha Catholic team in 2011.

  PSU freshmen offensive lineman Ryan Bates and linebacker Jake Cooper both briefly played with redshirt junior Colin Thompson at Archbishop Wood in Philadelphia.

  PSU sophomore linebacker Jason Cabinda and Temple defensive lineman Matt Ioannidis played on the 2011 conference champion Hunterdon Central H.S. team.

  PSU junior quarterback Christian Hackenberg and Temple redshirt senior defensive linemen Nate D. Smith and Hershey Owen all attended Fork Union Military Academy in 2010, where they won a State Championship.

  Senior defensive end Carl Nassib and Temple redshirt junior Thomas Rumer played together at Malvern Prep.

  Freshmen Antoine White (PSU defensive tackle) and Ryquell Armstead were classmates at Millville (N.J.) High School.

Wins Leaders

Entering its 129th season of varsity football, Penn State has amassed 849 victories to rank No. 8 in the nation. The Nittany Lions are one of just 10 programs with 800 wins and enter the 2015 season with an official all-time mark of 849-376-42.

Forty Lettermen Return

Penn State returns 40 lettermen from last year’s New Era Pinstripe Bowl championship squad — 20 on defense, 17 on offense and three specialists. Additionally, three lettermen return from the 2013 squad after missing 2014. Of the 40 lettermen returning, 29 have starting experience — 15 on offense, 13 on defense and the starting punter. The Nittany Lions lost the services of 18 letterwinners — 10 on defense, seven on offense and the starting placekicker.

Fifteen Starters Are Back In The Fold

The Nittany Lions return 15 starters — eight on offense and seven on defense. Fourteen additional players have starting experience — seven on offense, six on defense and a punter. Among the returning starters are All-American defensive tackleAnthony Zettel, Freshman All-Americans DaeSean Hamilton and Andrew Nelson, along with four others that received honorable-mention All-Big Ten honors: defensive tackle Austin Johnson, cornerback Jordan Lucas, center Angelo Mangiro and cornerbackTrevor Williams. That group also includes Big Ten All-Freshman Team honorees safety Marcus Allen, wide receiver Chris Godwinand punter Daniel Pasquariello.

Hackenberg, Lucas Lead Lions In Career Starts

Junior quarterback Christian Hackenberg and senior safety Jordan Lucas lead the team with 25 career starts each, as both have started every game the past two seasons. Senior cornerback Trevor Williams and redshirt junior linebacker Nyeem Wartman-White follow with 20 starts each, while four Lions are tied with 15 starts apiece.

Nittany Lion Position Changes

Among the Penn State players who played new positions during the spring are: Koa Farmer (LB to S), Jack Haffner (RB to LB),Charles Idemudia (LB to TE/H), Jordan Lucas (CB to S), Brendan Mahon (T to C/G), Dom Salomone (FB to TE/H) and Chasz Wright(T to C/G).

Penn State Number Changes

Several Lions are wearing new numbers, including Mark Allen (8), Brandon Bell (11), Torrence Brown (19), Gregg Garrity (19), Troy Reeder (42), Javon Turner (28), Kyle Vasey (96) and Daquan Worley (4).

Six Bowl Teams Highlight Schedule

The Nittany Lions will face six teams that participated in a bowl game during the 2014 campaign, with the contingent compiling a 4-3 record in those games.

In Beaver Stadium, Penn State will face:

  Rutgers beat North Carolina, 40-21, in the Quick Lane Bowl.

  San Diego State suffered a one-point loss, 17-16, against Navy in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl.

  Illinois fell to Louisiana Tech, 35-18, in the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl.

Penn State will travel to:

  Ohio State earned the No. 4 seed in the College Football Playoff and defeated Alabama, 42-35, in the Allstate Sugar Bowl and toppled Oregon, 42-20, in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

  Maryland dropped a 45-21 decision to Stanford in the Foster Farms Bowl.

  Michigan State bested Baylor, 42-41, in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

Five In A Row At Home

The Nittany Lions will host five consecutive home games for the first time since 1922 and the third time in program history when they welcome Buffalo (Sept. 12), Rutgers (Sept. 19), San Diego State (Sept. 26), Army West Point (Oct. 3) and Indiana (Oct. 10) to Beaver Stadium.

Penn State last played five consecutive home games in 1922, going 5-0 with wins over St. Bonaventure (54-0), William & Mary (27-7), Gettysburg (20-0), Lebanon Valley (32-6) and Middlebury (33-0).

The Nittany Lions also hosted five-straight home contests in 1920. Penn State also was perfect in those games with wins over Muhlenberg (27-7), Gettysburg (13-0), Dartmouth (14-7), North Carolina State (41-0) and Lebanon Valley (109-7). The 109 points scored against Lebanon Valley still stand as the program’s game scoring record.