For Penn State, a Frustrated Locker Room Sick of Losing

"They deserve victory," interim coach Terry Smith said after the Nittany Lions' last-minute loss to Indiana.

Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. (3) makes a catch in the end zone for a touchdown against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

STATE COLLEGE | After video replay confirmed Indiana receiver Omar Cooper Jr.’s touchdown catch, Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith was fuming and leaned into the officiating crew. It was the most anger and frustration Smith has shown on the sideline in his four weeks on the job. 

They were the emotions of a coach sick of losing. Penn State lost another heartbreaker Saturday to No. 2 Indiana, 27-24, yet another close game that didn’t fall its way. And as Smith said postgame, when talking about how close his team has been, “We’re talking blades of grass, [dating] back to the Oregon game.”

So Smith unleashed his frustration, not solely about the ruling but for what has happened over the past six games. That included the double-overtime loss against Oregon, which in part was decided when a blade of grass turned a fumble into a downed knee. 

It included losses against Northwestern and Iowa, games Penn State led in the fourth quarter. And it included Saturday’s loss to the Hoosiers, which Penn State led 24-20 with 1:51 remaining. 

"We're all wanting the plays to go our way," Smith said. "We’re talking blades of grass, right back to the Oregon game. We're just trying to create, maybe we get the call for the blade of grass, and right now we're in that storm where we can't get the blade of grass. So just trying to make sure my guys know I'm fighting every way of the storm for the guys, trying to turn the tide."

Fifty seconds with Penn State interim coach Terry Smith after a bitter loss. pic.twitter.com/hrYamV20Bm

— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) November 8, 2025

The loss, Penn State’s fifth this season by six points or less, elicited plenty of emotion. Offensive lineman Vega Ioane, who went viral at Ohio State by helping an equipment manager, was stone-faced heading back to the locker room. Senior defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton continuously shook his head on his way through the tunnel. Sixth-year safety Zakee Wheatley, who was in coverage on Cooper’s touchdown catch, was visibly emotional as well.

"We didn't show up when it mattered," Dennis-Sutton said.

Center and captain Nick Dawkins said he was “embarrassed” by his play against the Hoosiers. Saturday’s loss marked the team’s sixth straight, Penn State's longest losing streak since 2004.

“We work so hard,” Dawkins said. “We miss Christmas, we miss Easter, we miss Thanksgiving, we miss every holiday. I miss birthdays, I miss weddings, I miss everything. And usually winning excuses those things to your family, and I have no excuses. It's just really embarrassing, personally for myself.”

Dawkins said the frustration permeated the locker room, which hasn’t won a game since Sept. 13 against Villanova. 

“All of us are frustrated,” he said. “Fans are frustrated, I'm frustrated, coaches are frustrated. Because, to be quite honest with you, we’re thinking, ‘What do we need to do? What is it? Why?’

That emotional wear and tear has been difficult. Safety King Mack, who blitzed Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza on the winning touchdown pass, said it “hurts my heart” not to get the win. But the motivation remains.

“We love each other. I didn't come back here for no reason. [I came back for] the love and the brotherhood,” Mack said. “Here is one of a kind. The blood, sweat and tears that we put in throughout fall camp, winter workouts, summer. Seeing your brother next to you, [his] blood sweat and tears. [Watching] him giving his all for a workout. [And] he don't even care his position or where his spot is on the team, but because everyone else is doing it, he's bought in, and everybody here has bought in.”

Incase you need another angle of *that* ⁦@IndianaFootball⁩ game winner 🤌 pic.twitter.com/5qJytrRzLU

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 8, 2025

Before leaving the postgame interview room, Dawkins sought to find perspective.

“Yes, we're losing games,” he said. “And it sucks. But there's worse things that can happen. Lose parents, lose family members. People don't have enough food, money. All that stuff. Lose a football game? Yeah, it sucks. I take it on the chin, but we [are] never going to quit. The chin’s infinite.” 

“There’s always a lesson and there’s opportunity in chaos. To put good film out, to understand what you need to do better and to really know what it is to be part of a winning team and how hard winning is,” Dawkins added. “Sometimes we take that for granted. [We] absolutely took that for granted, and it's humbling. Super humbling.

It's good that we overcame some stuff and [are] still fighting, still losing. It's just a balancing act, and guys are learning to deal with that from a younger age. I think of the young guys and the future they have. Maybe this will just motivate them to not allow this to happen to them in their senior season."

Smith just wanted a win for his team. "I just feel bad for those guys," he said. "They deserve more. They deserve victory." Meanwhile, the players just want a win for Smith.

"He works his ass off for us," Dawkins said. "It would mean a lot. I really thought we were going to get this one today. We thought we were going to win this one, because he pours so much into us and he takes it on his chin. He's accountable and takes ownership at the end of the day.

"So it's on us. We're not executing the game plan well enough to win the game. It means a lot, because he is Penn State. We have so much respect for him, and [we're] just dissatisfied we’re not able to get a winning result for him."

"GIVE HIM THE HEISMAN TROPHY NOW!!"

Gus Johnson was all in on that crazy @IndianaFootball TD for the win 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/LjmNf28L5H

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 8, 2025