Penn State found some late-season momentum under interim HC Terry Smith. The Nittany Lions won their second straight Big Ten game on Saturday, defeating Nebraska by 37-10. The QB Ethan Grunkemeyer played an effective pass game to secure the win. Now, while Grunkemeyer’s future shines bright with Penn State, the interim HC shared his honest thoughts on the freshman’s progress. 

Terry Smith, on the Nov. 24 Monday Press Conference, was asked about Ethan Grunkemeyer’s future at Penn State and his progress against Nebraska compared to the previous game.

“Yeah, I think Ethan [Grunkemeyer] has played really, really well,” Terry Smith exclaimed.

“I thought he played outstanding on Saturday. When you talk about 11 for 12, you say, ‘Well, 12 pass attempts isn’t a lot.’ But when you look at how the game played out, we completely dominated the line of scrimmage and ran for over 200 yards with the running backs. And then when we did throw the ball, it was downfield, it’s 11 for 12 for 181 yards. Whatever that calculation is per play was bigger than it’s been all year. He threw a touchdown. I thought he played outstanding.”

Grunkemeyer completed every ball snapped, except one pass, finishing with a 92% completion rate and a QBR of 245.9. He took only one sack and looked more comfortable getting the ball out quickly.

“We had two calls where we threw the ball down the field and got pass interference,” Smith added.

“So those don’t show up in the stats, but those are positives to the offense because we’re giving our guys an opportunity to make a play, and good things happen for us. So, Ethan, he’s really progressed. I think between this game and the prior game, Michigan State, I think he really slungshot a little bit. I’m really looking forward to this week and closing out the season on a high note.”

Comparing the previous game, the starting QB switched the plays more effectively, especially on the downfield passes. The 91.7 completion rate is the highest passing rate of his collegiate career.

His effective passing game, combined with the running game by Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton, helped them secure a 27-point win more comfortably.

Meanwhile, as the freshman QB proves promising, he appeared before the media to address his future with Penn State.

Ethan Grunkemeyer pledges to Terry Smith

A media person asked Grunkemeyer if he would be staying with Penn State if Terry Smith is promoted to a full-time role next year.

Without a second thought, Grunkemeyer replied, “Yeah, I would stay for sure. It’s a guy that we’re all familiar with. So, it would definitely help with that for sure. Yeah.”

His intention was tested when a media person asked if he would still be on the roster if Terry Smith wasn’t the head coach. Ethan again said yes.

“Yeah, definitely, something I would definitely consider. I’m not going to get into too much of it, but yeah, absolutely.”

While Grunkemeyer’s future is secured with the Nittany Lions, it would be interesting to see how their next season blooms out. They’re now heading to their final challenge this week, closing the season against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday, November 29.