2015 Temple Owls football team
American college football season
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The 2015 Temple Owls football team represented Temple University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Owls were led by third-year head coach Matt Rhule and played their home games at Lincoln Financial Field. They were members of the East Division of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 10–4, 7–1 in American Athletic play to finish as champions of the East Division. They represented the East Division in the American Athletic Championship Game where they lost to Houston. They were invited to the Boca Raton Bowl where they lost to Toledo.
- Matt Rhule (3rd season)
| 2015 Temple Owls football | |
|---|---|
 | |
The American East Division champion | |
American Athletic Championship Game, L 13–24 vs. Houston | |
Boca Raton Bowl, L 17–32 vs. Toledo | |
| Conference | American Athletic Conference |
| East Division | |
| Record | 10–4 (7–1 AAC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Marcus Satterfield (3rd season) |
| Offensive scheme | Spread |
| Defensive coordinator | Phil Snow (3rd season) |
| Base defense | 4–3[1] |
| Home stadium | Lincoln Financial Field |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Temple x | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Florida | 6 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cincinnati | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UConn | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Carolina | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCF | 0 | – | 8 | 0 | – | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Houston xy$ | 7 | – | 1 | 13 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18 Navy x | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memphis | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulsa | 3 | – | 5 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | 1 | – | 7 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SMU | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Houston 24, Temple 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The season was highlighted by the first win against Penn State since 1941, their first ever 7–0 start, and their first AP Poll and Coaches Poll ranking since 1979, and is widely considered the greatest season in program history.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5 | 3:30 p.m. | Penn State* | ESPN | W 27–10 | 69,176 | ||
| September 12 | 8:00 p.m. | at Cincinnati | ESPNews | W 34–26 | 38,112 | ||
| September 19 | 3:00 p.m. | at UMass* | ESPN3 | W 25–23 | 10,141 | ||
| October 2 | 7:00 p.m. | at Charlotte* | CBSSN | W 37–3 | 13,105 | ||
| October 10 | 12:00 p.m. | Tulane |
| ESPNU | W 49–10 | 35,179 | |
| October 17 | 7:30 p.m. | UCF |
| CBSSN | W 30–16 | 31,372 | |
| October 22 | 7:00 p.m. | at East Carolina | No. 22 | ESPN2 | W 24–14 | 39,417 | |
| October 31 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 9 Notre Dame* | No. 21 |
| ABC | L 20–24 | 69,280 |
| November 6 | 8:00 p.m. | at SMU | No. 22 | ESPN2 | W 60–40 | 17,232 | |
| November 14 | 7:00 p.m. | at South Florida | No. 22 | CBSSN | L 23–44 | 28,393 | |
| November 21 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 21 Memphis |
| ESPNU | W 31–12 | 31,708 | |
| November 28 | 7:00 p.m. | UConn | No. 25 |
| ESPNU | W 27–3 | 28,236 |
| December 5 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 19 Houston | No. 22 | ABC | L 13–24 | 35,721 | |
| December 22 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. Toledo* | No. 24 | ESPN | L 17–32 | 25,908 | |
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Game summaries
Penn State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nittany Lions | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Owls | 0 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 27 |
This was the Owls' first victory over Penn State since 1941.[3] The announced crowd at Lincoln Financial Field was 69,176 Saturday, a record for a Temple home game.[4] After the Nittany Lions scored 10 points in the first quarter, Temple responded with 27 unanswered points. Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg was sacked 10 times, with Temple linebacker Tyler Matakevich recording three sacks.[5] This game was Temple's first victory over a Big Ten team since a 1990 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers, as the Owls snapped a 31-game losing streak in the series to the Nittany Lions.[6]
At Cincinnati
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owls | 3 | 7 | 21 | 3 | 34 |
| Bearcats | 0 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 26 |
This was the Owls' first victory over Cincinnati since 1985.[7]
At UMass
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owls | 7 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 25 |
| Minutemen | 0 | 17 | 0 | 6 | 23 |
At Charlotte
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owls | 3 | 7 | 20 | 7 | 37 |
| 49ers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Tulane
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Wave | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Owls | 7 | 14 | 21 | 7 | 49 |
UCF
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knights | 3 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
| Owls | 7 | 7 | 0 | 16 | 30 |
At East Carolina
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #22 Owls | 3 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
| Pirates | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
This was the first game, and win, for a nationally ranked Owls team since 1979.
Notre Dame
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #9 Fighting Irish | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
| #21 Owls | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
This was the first time ESPN's College GameDay visited a Temple home game. Set up at Independence Mall, the broadcast attracted more than 10,000 fans.
At SMU
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #23 Owls | 14 | 7 | 17 | 22 | 60 |
| Mustangs | 0 | 17 | 7 | 16 | 40 |
At South Florida
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #21 Owls | 7 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 23 |
| Bulls | 7 | 24 | 3 | 10 | 44 |
Memphis
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tigers | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| Owls | 0 | 14 | 0 | 17 | 31 |
UConn
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huskies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| #25 Owls | 7 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 27 |
This win sealed the Owls' berth in the inaugural AAC Championship, their second division title in team history.
The American Championship vs. Houston
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #20 Owls | 0 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 13 |
| #17 Cougars | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
Boca Raton Bowl vs. Toledo
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #24 Owls | 3 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 17 |
| Rockets | 0 | 12 | 0 | 20 | 32 |
Awards and honors
National awards
- Defense
Tyler Matakevich - LB - Senior [8]
- Chuck Bednarik Award - Winner
- Bronko Nagurski Trophy - Winner
- Lott IMPACT Trophy - Finalist
- Lombardi Award - Semi-Finalist
All Americans
- Consensus All-American
Tyler Matakevich - LB - Senior
- Phil Steele All American Team
Dion Dawkins - OL - Junior - 4th Team
Conference awards
- Defense
Tyler Matakevich - LB - Senior
- American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year - Winner
American Athletic Conference All-Conference Team
- First Team
Kyle Friend, C
Matt Ioannidis, DL
Eric Lofton, OL
Tyler Matakevich, LB
Nate D. Smith, DL
Jahad Thomas, RB
Alex Wells, FS
- Second Team
Dion Dawkins, OL
Sean Chandler, DB
- Other notable NFL players
Haason Reddick, DL
P. J. Walker, QB
Rankings
NFL Players
NFL Draft Combine
Three Temple players were invited to participate in the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine.
| # | Name | POS | HT | WT | Arms | Hands | 40 | Bench Press | Vert Jump | Broad Jump | 3 Cone Drill | 20-yd Shuttle | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Tavon Young | CB | 5-9 | 183 lbs | 30 5/8 | 9 1/8 | 4.46 | 9 | 34.5 in | 118 in | 6.80 | 3.93 | [10] |
| #8 | Tyler Matakevich | LB | 6-0 | 238 lbs | 31 1/4 | 9 1/2 | 4.81 | 22 | 31.0 in | 112 in | 7.19 | 4.50 | [10] |
| #9 | Matt Ioannidis | DL | 6-3 | 299 lbs | 5.03 | 32 | 28.0 in | 108.0 in | 7.78 | 4.71 | [10] |
† Top performer
2016 NFL draft
Following the season, the following members of the Temple football team were selected in the 2016 NFL draft.
| # | Player | Round | Pick | Position | NFL Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Tavon Young | 4 | 104 | CB | Baltimore Ravens |
| #9 | Matt Ioannidis | 5 | 152 | DL | Washington Redskins |
| #8 | Tyler Matakevich | 7 | 246 | LB | Pittsburgh Steelers |
Undrafted Free Agents
In addition to the draft selections above, the following Temple players signed NFL contracts after the draft.
| # | Name | POS | HT | WT | NFL Club | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #17 | Brandon Shippen | WR | 5-11 | 191 lbs | Dolphins | [12] |
| #19 | Robby Anderson | WR | 6-3 | 190 lbs | Jets | [13] |
| #75 | Shahbaz Ahmed | OL | 6-3 | 285 lbs | Falcons | [14] |
| #79 | Kyle Friend | OL | 6-2 | 305 lbs | Jets | [15] |