PSU finally ended its B1G losing streak on Saturday. Kudos to interim head coach Terry Smith. Penn State and Michigan State fought for their first B1G win at Spartan Stadium, where the Nittany Lions stood tall with a 28-10 win (4-6, 1-6 in the B1G). It’s not only their first conference win, but also the first win for Terry Smith. So now that the hopes spark in the PSU’s locker room, the interim coach revealed the four key points behind their success.

Terry Smith spoke to the media on Monday, November 17, with a proud face for their efforts on Saturday. He then went on to reveal that they had executed four key points discussed in last week’s team meeting, which was the reason behind a win over Michigan State. “Gave team four key points, and delivered on all four.” Terry Smith’s four key points:

• Dominate line of scrimmage
• Play with passion and pride
• Nick and Kaytron combined 30-plus touches (had 45 for 268 yds)
• Pressure the QB (PSU had 5 sacks)

And Smith proudly claimed, “Did all four.”

Offensively, the Nittany Lions dominated the total yards, with a physical and explosive run game earning 240 yards. Kaytron Allen carried 25 times for 181 yards, with an average of 7.2 yards per carry, and posted 2 rushing touchdowns. Nick Singleton, on the other hand, carried 15 times for 56 yards. Penn State’s QB Ethan Grunkemeyer passed 8 of 13 and 127 yards for 2 touchdowns. They had back-to-back drives in the fourth quarter and haven’t had any turnovers throughout the game.

Defensively, they restricted the Spartans to just four explosive drives. They kept the QB Alessio Milivojevic under pressure and sacked him five times. PSU’s defense kept Michigan State’s third and fourth down under check, resulting in 1/12. While there were a few mistakes, like allowing the 57-yard rushing touchdown on the first drive and roughing the penalties, Terry Smith ensured that they “need to be cleaned up.”

As for the passion, it showed in the way the team played and Smith’s words for them post the race. “It’s very humbling. I love those guys to death. I would do anything for them. They played so hard for us, and it was just a great moment.”

Although it’s too late to fix, and the senior RBs- Allen and Singleton could leave for the NFL draft following this season, it would be helpful for them to win the last two games for a decent finish to their 2025 campaign.

Terry Smith as the next Head Coach candidate

After the Saturday win against Michigan State, Scott Paterno suggested that PSU should consider Terry Smith as the next head coach candidate. He took to X and wrote, “FWIW I am becoming convinced you take the interim tag off his title. You need a guy who fits your school and your roster. The names everyone’s tossing around are all signing extensions.”

He then went on to explain, “Just sayin, last time we promoted from within, the guy won 409 games. Worth considering.” The person Scott Paterno referenced was his father, Joe Paterno, who served as head coach from 1966 to 2011, and won 409 games for the school.

While Terry Smith was asked if they had talked about a permanent role, the interim coach said, “Has not had any talks in regards to the HC position.” However, his on-field actions are seemingly pushing the program into the conversation, with support from the internal community and alumni. Keeping head coaching talks and decommit chaos aside, the Nittany Lions are motivated to host Nebraska this weekend, November 22nd, at Beaver Stadium.