STATE COLLEGE | When Penn State visits Temple at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday, head coach Matt Campbell will have two personal ties to the game that dates to his playing days at Division III Mount Union from 1999-2002.Campbell and the Purple Raiders played then-Rowan and current Temple head coach K.C. Keeler during the 1999 Division III playoffs. One of his college teammates for that game was current Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, with whom Campbell remains close, as their time together at Mount Union continues to frame his career. Campbell recalled that game against Keeler this week as the Nittany Lions prepared to face the Owls on Saturday. In the 1999 NCAA Division III semifinals, Rowan defeated Mount Union 24-17, ending the Purple Raiders’ 54-game winning streak. It was the only loss Campbell endured as a player at Mount Union, where he was an All-America defensive end who finished his career 54-1. Recalling that game, Campbell said he expects Keeler to coach a similar team in Temple.“It was a physical football game, and kind of similar to what you expect to see on Saturday [from Temple],” Campbell said. “A physical, well-coached football team that has done a great job putting any program he's been at in a position to play great football.”Saturday’s game at Temple, set for a noon kickoff, will bring back Mount Union memories for Campbell, who meets the coach who handed him his only loss as a player at the home of the NFL team whose head coach is one of his closest friends.Loss to Keeler gave ‘spark’ to Campbell and Mount UnionTemple Owls head coach K.C. Keeler on the sideline against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectFollowing that loss to Rowan in 1999, Campbell’s Mount Union teams didn’t lose again. The Purple Raiders went undefeated for the next three seasons, winning national championships each year. Yet the loss stung Campbell so hard that this week he recalled it going to triple overtime, when Rowan actually won in the first overtime. Rowan scored on its first possession and then stopped Mount Union on fourth down for the victory.“It was almost the spark for our program, to be quite honest with you,“ Campbell said. “... I was in on the last play as the game ended, and that was tough.”Before losing to Rowan in the 1999 playoffs, Mount Union had an NCAA-record 54-game winning streak. That loss Purple Raiders’ lone blemish from 1996-2002, and the 1999 season was the only time they fell short of winning the national championship in that stretch. “That was kind of a great opportunity for me to learn what the standard of excellence was in the program at Mount Union, losing that football game, and what it meant to never have that feeling again,” Campbell said. “We were fortunate to not have that feeling again during my time as a player.”Campbell returned to Mount Union as the offensive coordinator in 2005. The Purple Raiders faced Rowan in the semifinals again, this time winning 19-7 en route to the national championship. “That was big,” Campbell said. Keeler wasn’t Rowan’s head coach in 2005 — he left for Delaware in 2002 — but has met Campbell since and recalled some moments with him during his press conference ahead of this weekend’s matchup with Penn State. Temple’s second-year head coach believes the Nittany Lions will “rise into the top 10 in the country very quickly” under Campbell.“I think he was a phenomenal choice to be the head coach there,” Keeler told reporters in Philadelphia. “I know him a little bit, and we did some things together, some clinics together. Got a chance to spend a little time with him, and I heard him speak. I think he was a home run in terms of what he can do with that program and how they can build it.”Sirianni is a ‘great sounding board’ for CampbellPhiladelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni reacts to a play against the Cincinnati Bengals at Lincoln Financial Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectMeanwhile, Sirianni and Campbell were teammates for Mount Union’s loss to Keeler and the following national championship seasons. They also were assistants on the Mount Union staff in 2005 that won the NCAA title. Campbell was the offensive coordinator, and Sirianni coached defensive backs.“Nick has been a great sounding board,” Campbell said. “I think we've gone through some of the same journeys as head football coaches, good moments and tough moments.”Campbell’s relationship with Sirianni is especially important this week, as Lincoln Financial Field is the home of Sirianni’s Eagles. Campbell said he spoke to Sirianni on Monday while getting his team prepared to play at Lincoln Financial Field, one day before the Eagles face the Washington Commanders at home to open their season.Campbell has history at Lincoln Financial Field as well, coaching games there during his stints at Bowling Green and Toledo. Most recently, Campbell was Toledo’s offensive coordinator in 2011, when the Rockets beat Temple 36-13. He called Saturday’s game a “great opportunity” to play at an NFL stadium and said his players will be excited about that.“My family, we're really proud of what Nick's accomplished and being from Mount Union and what he's done and how he's done it,” Campbell said. “I think it’s been awesome, and just really grateful that we're now in a place where we can be a little bit closer to each other, and certainly to continue that relationship and continue to bounce things off each other.”Penn State Nittany Lions coach Matt Campbell looks on from the sideline vs. the Marshall Thundering Herd at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectSign up to our free Penn State Nittany Lions newsletter, follow us on social media and add Penn State on SI as a Preferred Source on Google.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow