Penn State's Pinstripe Bowl Victory Was a Record-Setter

The Nittany Lions' win over Clemson drew the most viewers in Pinstripe Bowl history.

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

Terry Smith, Penn State's former interim head coach, called the Nittany Lions' Pinstripe Bowl victory "the greatest moment of my life." Turns out, the game was pretty good for business as well.

ESPN released viewership numbers for its college football bowl-game inventory, and the Pinstripe Bowl was a high-performer. According to ESPN, Penn State's 22-10 win over Clemson set a viewership record for the game, one of four bowls to do so this postseason.

The game, broadcast by ABC, reached an average of 7.6 million viewers, according to ESPN, peaking with 10.3 million viewers. It was ESPN networks' third-highest ranked game of bowl season behind the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, featuring Texas and Michigan, and the Pop-Tarts Bowl featuring Georgia Tech and BYU.

All three games were broadcast on ABC. The Pinstripe Bowl benefitted from a Saturday afternoon kickoff and the Nittany Lions' dramatic fourth quarter, in which they outscord Clemson 16-7.

Smith went viral with his network post-game interview, during which he grew emotional discussing Penn State's four-game win streak to close the season.

"This is the greatest moment of my life," Smith told ESPN. "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."

Look at what Penn State and a bowl game win means for interim head coach Terry Smith 🥹 pic.twitter.com/35zdhXucNY

— ESPN (@espn) December 27, 2025

Despite significant opt-outs and unrealized expectations by both teams, Pinstripe Bowl officials positioned the game as the best matchup in its history. Penn State and Clemson were top-4 teams in the preseason AP Top 25 and expected to compete for a national championship. Both finished unranked with seven wins but still logged the best viewership in the bowl's 16-game history.

"It's truly a dream matchup for us," Pinstripe Bowl Executive Director Mark Holtzman said before the game. "Arguably the best matchup we've ever had for the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl up to this point. This year's Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl truly is a for all college football fans across the country with this game between two such legendary football institutions and powerhouses."

ESPN said in a news release that viewership was up 13 percent for the 33 non-College Football Playoff bowl games broadcast on its networks. In addition to the Pinstripe Bowl, three other games set records for viewership: the Bucked Up LA Bowl (ABC), the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl (ESPN) and the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl (ESPN).

ESPN's '25-'26 @BowlSeason slate scored largest audience in 10 yrs

🏈 3.1M avg. viewers across 33 games, up 13% YoY
🏈 ABC (6.2M) delivered largest non-CFP bowl audience in 12 yrs
🏈 11 games reached at least a 5-yr high with 8 scoring a 10-yr high

More: https://t.co/3yF438vdiy pic.twitter.com/wEz1P8qO83

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) January 7, 2026

Penn State won its 34th bowl game, which ranks fourth all-time among FBS teams, and improved its bowl winning percentage to 61.4 percent. Smith became the first Penn State interim head coach to win a bowl game. The Nittany Lions also improved to 2-0 in the Pinstripe Bowl.

"These guys worked extremely hard," Smith told ESPN after the game. "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."

Smith remained with Penn State's coaching staff after the Pinstripe Bowl, resuming his role as the team's assistant head coach and cornerbacks coach. Nittany Lions coach Matt Campbell, who did not attend the game, is in the process of remaking Penn State's roster through recruiting and the transfer portal.

"It's very rewarding that I know and understand that I can handle this seat," Smith said after the bowl game about serving as Penn State's interim head coach. "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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