Temple Hosts Undefeated Navy on Homecoming Amid Navy 250 Celebration in Philadelphia

The Temple Owls will play host to the Navy Midshipmen this Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field in what is traditionally Temple’s homecoming weekend — but this year, the usual home-field energy may get a twist.

The Owls enter the contest after a gritty 27–21 win over UTSA, rallying from an early deficit to preserve their perfect ball-security streak. Temple has yet to commit a turnover this season — the only FBS team able to say so after five games.  Quarterback Evan Simon continues to shine in his first year in the offense, spreading the ball across multiple receivers while protecting it. Temple’s redshirt senior signal-caller has already passed 100 consecutive attempts this year without an interception.

Meanwhile, the Midshipmen come in undefeated at 5–0, having carved out wins over UAB, Tulsa and Rice in American Conference play. Navy’s triple-option scheme has been a constant, with at least 21 points in every game; their most explosive outing to date came in a 52-point showing against VMI. Last week, Navy edged Air Force via a clutch 34-yard field goal after a 60-yard drive late in the fourth quarter.

The series between these squads will now hit the 20-game mark — with Navy holding the edge, 10–9. In Philadelphia matchups, Temple leads 4–3. The Owls’ last win in Philly was in 2023, and Navy has claimed four of the past five overall meetings. In Temple’s homecoming history, they’ve only previously faced Navy once — in 1991, a 21–14 Owls triumph at Veterans Stadium.

But this year brings an added twist: Philadelphia is midway through the 250th anniversary celebration of the Navy and Marine Corps. Local events and ceremonies tied to that commemoration are expected to draw more active-duty, veteran, and naval-affiliated visitors. That presence could tip the crowd balance — even during Temple’s homecoming — with more Navy supporters in attendance than usual.

Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m. ET, with national coverage on ESPN2 and audio available through OwlSports.com.