While Penn State Athletics was on a wild goose chase to find their next HC, it was Terry Smith who held the fort down at Happy Valley. The interim HC has done a brilliant job in keeping the team from collapsing, unlike other programs. Before he handed over the reins to Matt Campbell, he got to close out his ride as HC with one special feat.

Smith found his groove in leading the blueblood program a little late into the season. But it was enough to have fans chanting his name in the Pinstripe Bowl, which would be his last as interim HC. Smith’s fourth consecutive win came against an unsuspecting Clemson, whom the Nittany Lions beat 22-10. The victory ended Clemson’s record of having the most postseason victories—a disappointing feat for the program’s equally disappointing year.

Since 2011, Clemson has won postseason games for 14 straight years. The record could have continued for one more year had it not been for a game-changing 4 quarter. Clemson’s defense was showing some signs of its preseason hype, limiting the Nittany Lions to 3 points until then. But then came Ethan Grunkemeyer’s monster 73-yard TD pass, facilitated by the heroics of WR Trebor Pena. Clemson tried to fight back, having cut down the gap to 16-10. But Terry Smith’s guidance enabled the Lions to launch one more touchdown to seal the game.

James Franklin’s departure could have broken Penn State. Smith himself confirmed that the mood in the locker room was “traumatized” by his dismissal and that there was “anger” in the team. And the fact that Penn State had crashed into humiliation after being heralded as potential Natty winners was another problem. Still, Smith and the fragile Penn State soldiered on through three more losses before beginning their winning streak.

Smith, after winning the Pinstripe Bowl with a 12-point lead, couldn’t help but turn emotional.

“I love this group. They’re just a special group of guys. This is the greatest moment in my life,” he told ESPN’s Taylor McGregor after the game. “It’s just a great moment for me, my family. God, I said, “I wasn’t going to do that (cry) again, but I’m just so happy for our guys.”

“What a resilient group. They could have laid down and quit; they didn’t have to play. They didn’t have to come show up here at the Pinstripe Bowl, but they did.”

Terry Smith will still be a part of the Penn State staff next year and is expected to resume his role as cornerbacks coach.

Terry Smith delivers a tough blow to Dabo Swinney amid hot-seat talks

While Terry Smith became a hero this season, his ending Clemson’s postseason record put veteran HC Dabo Swinney in a tight spot. Clemson fans aren’t going to let go of the humiliation that’s been served all season long, and especially not after losing a bowl game to Penn State.  The 7-6 record this season will be Swinney’s third-worst season as Clemson’s head coach.

“We did a poor job of winning close games this year,” Swinney said in the post-game interview.

The talk of Dabo Swinney’s departure from Clemson has been ringing since 2023, his first single-digit winning season after 2010. Clemson scraped by last season to make the playoffs, which saved the HC from taking more heat. But the 7-6 finish to the 2025 season has turned it back up again. Penn State will begin a new era next year on a positive note. But at Death Valley, the atmosphere is uneasy. It’ll be difficult to fire Dabo Swinney, thanks to his massive buyout ($60 million if fired in 2025). But he’s no longer the overwhelming hero he once was for Clemson football fans.

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One alarming reason behind this massive loss is the gaping hole in the roster. Clemson lacked 26 players who were part of the team. 17 were out with injuries, 5 entered the portal, and 4 declared for the draft. However, Penn State was also debuting a fairly new team in the Pinstripe Bowl. Yet, it was Clemson who lost. The grip Swinney had over Clemson football has been forced loose this season.

Both teams are now 7-6, but it was Terry Smith who got to have a good night’s sleep at the end of the season. The role he played as an interim head coach was just as crucial as that of any sitting head coach would have been in his position. It helped end a longstanding record of one of the biggest names in college football, which is a fitting conclusion to Smith’s brief tenure as head coach.