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How Penn State's Terry Smith Made Bowl Games Fun Again

The Nittany Lions coach called the Pinstripe Bowl victory "the greatest moment of my life."
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Trebor Pena (8) holds the David C. Koch MVP Trophy after defeating the Clemson Tigers in the 2025 Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium.
Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Trebor Pena (8) holds the David C. Koch MVP Trophy after defeating the Clemson Tigers in the 2025 Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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NEW YORK | Terry Smith promised himself he wouldn't cry again. Not like he did in mid-November, when he said becoming Penn State's interim head coach was "humbling," or like he did a few days later, when the Nittany Lions beat Nebraska at Beaver Stadium.

But there he was at Yankee Stadium, getting showered in grass clippings after the Pinstripe Bowl, doing a television interview that tugged on college football's heart.

"This is the greatest moment of my life," Smith told ESPN after the Nittany Lions' 22-10 win over Clemson. "It's just a great moment for me, my family and ... I said I wasn't going to do that again, but I'm just so happy for our guys."

In that moment, Smith cemented his star not only at Penn State but also in college football, which has dismissed bowl season into devalued commodity. Penn State and Clemson played through first-quarter snow and a 21-degree wind chill without more than 50 of their teammates in a situation now gripped by agents, general managers and contracts.

Penn State alone played without 12 starters or key players who opted out of the Pinstripe Bowl or announced plans to enter the transfer portal. Players weren't the only ones to opt out. Entire teams, like Notre Dame and Iowa State (which lost head coach Matt Campbell to Penn State in December) chose not to play bowl games. The Athletic recently published a story that asked, "What's the future of bowl games?"

Smith answered that all week as the Nittany Lions prepared for the Pinstripe Bowl and then again Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. The interim head coach, who finished with a 4-3 record, never scolded those players who didn't play. He focused instead on those who did.

Asked before the Pinstripe Bowl whether the opt-outs were disappointing, Smith said, "We're not disappointed. We have a tremendous opportunity to finish the season off the way the last three games have gone."

After the game, Smith told the crowd at Yankee Stadium that his team had captured something in November that carried it through Saturday.

"These guys worked extremely hard," Smith said. "They've been in it together, they're family, they love playing football. That's what we recaptured halfway through the season when I took over, just the love and the passion for the game."

College football seemed to identify Smith's post-game interview as a beacon. ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit wrote in a social media post that he watched the interview 10 times, saying that he was "grateful to hear these words."

Fellow ESPN analyst Dick Vitale said he ws "blown away" by Smith's interview, saying the coach "impressed me with his passion."

Penn State defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton was one of those players who didn't have to play. He's a senior with no eligiblity remaining and the 2026 NFL Draft in his immediate future. Yet Dennis-Sutton played every meaningful snap, making two sacks in a performance that Smith lauded as exemplary and that Dennis-Sutton called a "privilege."

Likewise, fifth-year senior receiver Trebor Pena could have opted out, having already played in the Pinstripe Bowl with Syracuse in 2022. Yet Pena was voted the game's MVP after catching a 73-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter that helped ignite the win.

"It's been amazing," Pena said. "Terry is somebody that you want to play for. He's such a good leader. You can tell why everybody rallies around him. He instills that toughness in us and makes us play for something bigger than ourselves. I really respect him and thank him for everything."

Importantly, Smith's Pinstripe Bowl victory was not his final act at Penn State but part of his transition. He will remain with the Nittany Lions as assistant head coach, a decision that Campbell called one of his most important upon taking the job. The Nittany Lions could not have agreed more.

"Coach Terry deserves it," Penn State safety King Mack said. "He puts so much into Penn State. He has so much love and gratitude for Penn State, so I’m honestly happy for him for getting a contract where he’s comfortable. And everyone in the locker room, we all talked about it. It’s either two things: Either Coach Terry gets hired as the head coach, or they pay him to stay here. It’s not hard to see the effect that Coach Terry has on the team."

About 30 minutes after the game, Smith walked into the post-game press conference with Pena and Dennis-Sutton, who was carrying the Pinstripe Bowl trophy. He placed it in front of Smith, which made his coach smile. Penn State has won 34 bowl games, and this wasn't the most consequential in program history. But it mattered greatly to Smith and the Nittany Lions in that moment.

And then, like everyone else in Penn State football, Terry Smith began to pivot. He did so gracefully while sounding eager to begin the third chapter of his Penn State coaching career.

"For me personally, it's very rewarding that I know and understand that I can handle this seat," Smith said. "It was a great ride. I'm ready for the next chapter. I'm ready to pass the torch on to Coach Campbell. He's an amazing individual and leader and Penn State is in great hands, and I'm ready to help him achieve greatness."

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

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