How Penn State Celebrated Winning for Interim Coach Terry Smith

Penn State did something Saturday it hadn’t in more than two months: celebrate a win. The Nittany Lions drenched interim head coach Terry Smith in Gatorade and carried him onto the field after beating Michigan State 28-10 to end their six-game losing streak.

“I love those guys to death, I would do anything for them,” Smith told reporters at Spartan Stadium after getting his first win as the program’s head coach. “They played so hard for us, and it was just a great moment. I’m sitting here soaking wet, like hypothermia or something, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It was just a great moment for Penn State football.”

In a season of disappointments, the Nittany Lions will take any celebration they can. Penn State had not won since Sept. 13 against Villanova, had not beaten a Power 4 opponent this season and had lost five of its six previous Big Ten games by a combined 16 points.

So even though they beat another winless Big Ten team, the Nittany Lions finally got over the hump by finishing a game. Smith always said they were close, but Saturday was the first time it actually happened.

“I’m just super happy for our kids, super happy for our program, super happy for our fans and our following,” Smith said. “We deserve this game. We now know again what it feels like to win and we’ve just got to build on this with momentum.”

Nice to see this happen for Penn State interim coach Terry Smith. pic.twitter.com/AEGbFQKfK2
— Mark Brennan (@MarkXBrennan) November 15, 2025

Smith said he was distracted at the end of the game, when he told the offense to take a knee even though they asked if they should try to score. Smith said that the victory formation “is the best football formation.” At that moment, another distraction found him on the sideline.

“Then [quarterbacks coach] Danny O’Brien walked up to me and he said, ‘I don’t normally get emotional,’ and I’m looking at him sideways like, ‘We don’t ever have these conversations,’” Smith said. “And then the bucket hit me. As a coach, you relish those moments, because you pour your heart and soul into the players and you hope that they respect and honor you back by playing hard.”

Penn State’s stars shine again

Have a game Dani Dennis-Sutton 👏 @PennStateFball pic.twitter.com/XXPV0OCLYH
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) November 15, 2025

After Penn State lost to Northwestern on Oct. 11, defensive Dani Dennis-Sutton learned that quarterback Drew Allar suffered a season-ending injury while facing questions from the media. James Franklin was fired the next day. Everything changed for Penn State in an instant, and Dennis-Sutton said then that the team’s confidence was declining.

“Anytime you lose, it's tough, but especially losing consecutive [games] it's like, what's going on?” he said two months ago. “I don't have a clear answer to fix it.”

The losing continued until Saturday, and Dennis-Sutton was a big reason the streak ended. Before last week’s game against Indiana, Dennis-Sutton didn’t have a sack against a conference opponent. He made two sacks against Michigan State and blocked his third punt of the season.

Dennis-Sutton’s energy signaled that Smith’s messaging worked. The interim head coach didn’t lose the effort from his biggest playmakers. Dennis-Sutton is going to the NFL Draft next year, and Smith said it would have been easy for him to “opt out.” Smith then called Dennis-Sutton’s effort Saturday “incredible.”

“We’ve been playing hard for him to keep this season alive, not giving up on him or this team,” Dennis-Sutton told reporters after the game. “Coach Terry has done a great job of keeping us sharp, keeping us focused and keeping us believing.”

A more evenly matched game

"You feel as though you've won a Super Bowl"

- @JonesN4mo on what it feels like for Penn State finally getting a conference win pic.twitter.com/ZyS00CAZzx
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) November 15, 2025

Penn State and Michigan State had similar struggles, which certainly benefited the Nittany Lions after playing the No.1 and No. 2 teams in the country the past two weeks.

For the first time as a starting quarterback, Ethan Grunkemeyer didn’t have to face a top-five defense. Michigan State ranked 68th nationally in total defense, and the battle for the Land Grant Trophy felt evenly matched. Both teams fought for their first conference win of the season — another surprising reality of Penn State’s season.

“They deserved victory prior to this but they went out and took victory today,” Smith said.

After Elijah Tau-Tolliver’s 57-yard touchdown run on Michigan State’s first play of the game, the Nittany Lions had answers against the run. The Spartans rushed for 101 total yards (44 on their next 21 carries), and Tau-Tolliver finished the game with 79. That’s partially why Penn State won.

Penn State entered the game allowing 151 yards rushing per game, but both UCLA and Iowa went over 240 against its defense. Penn State’s most pivotal stop was a second-quarter stand inside the 10-yard line to limit the Spartans to a field goal. Penn State also allowed Michigan State to convert just one of 10 third-down attempts and none in the second half.

Unsurprisingly, Penn State leaned on its run game with Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton both having strong performances. Allen dominated with a career-high 181 yards. His longest rush was for 42 yards as time got away from the Spartans in the fourth quarter. Allen followed with his second touchdown of the game.

It has been weeks since it felt like Penn State was supposed to win and actually delivered. Players drenched Smith in purple Gatorade because of it.

“Tonight, we celebrate,” Smith said. “Tomorrow, we reset. … We have Nebraska coming [to Beaver Stadium on Nov. 22]. These games are pivotal. We’re playing for our life to make a bowl game, and we took a huge step today getting back in the win column.”

What happens next for Penn State? Stay on top of all the Nittany Lions news by subscribing to thePenn State newsletter. It's your free daily window into the Nttany Lions.

Penn State’s stars shine again

A more evenly matched game

More Penn State Football