What They Said After Penn State's Win Over Rutgers

Nittany Lions interim coach Terry Smith praises his "unbelievable" offense, while Rutgers coach Greg Schiano discusses the critical late fumble.

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Nicholas Singleton (10) celebrates after a touchdown run during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Terry Smith was reflective about his time as Penn State's interim head coach after a 40-36 win over Rutgers on Saturday. The Nittany Lions won their third straight game, and seemed eager to play in a bowl, but still have so many questions to sort.

Smith said that he was given no timetable about decision on the coaching search but sounded like he knew change was coming. "It's been a good run for me," Smith said near the end of his post-game press conference.

Meanwhile, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano discussed the hearbreaking fumble by quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis that led to Penn State's game-winning touchdown. Here's what the coaches said after Penn State's 40-36 win.

RELATED: The Penn State report card: Rutgers edition

Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith

Penn State’s Terry Smith brought a different energy to his postgame press conference, which he acknowledged following a 40-36 win over Rutgers. pic.twitter.com/TjwJscYRyI

— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) November 30, 2025

On the game: It was definitely not a pretty victory, but a victory that counts the same. The offense was unbelievable tonight. They had their way. I was super proud of the offense. They answered the call. One of the things we learned tonight was how to end the game on our terms. You all recall the Indiana game. It was the same situation with four minutes to go and we didn’t give the ball back. We ended it on our terms. That was fantastic.

On his defense: The defense struggled all night. We just didn’t seem to have an answer to cover those guys. We struggled tackling those guys. When we needed a play most, we got the fumble recovery for a touchdown. Then we followed that up with a fourth-down stop, which really sealed the game. It was not pretty, but we figured out a way.

On becoming bowl-eligible: We’re very thankful for that. The guys really wanted that. We’re looking forward to playing in a bowl game.

On quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer: He’s the future of the position for us. He’s taken great strides in getting better. He works his tail off during the week. He’s very efficient in his throws. He runs our offense. That’s what a great quarterback does. When you look at Super Bowl champions or championship-caliber quarterbacks, they do what’s necessary for victory. That’s what he’s done for us.

On the defensive issues: They played horribly. We just have to go back and watch the film and re-evaluate why did it happen that way. Rutgers' offense I think is the No. 2 passing offense in the Big Ten, so we can't isrecpet whoi they are. Those receivers are legit, that catch that kid made? We get the Indiana catch and then we get that catch. That's going to on of the best catches o the yea.r But they were good and efficient. COahC clled a geat game, he had a plan, he exctued the plan, gave us difficulties. We're going to get if fixed for the bowl game. We're gong to be better. We'll learn form that. the beatuy of it is, we made plays when we neededf to make plays, and that's how we won.

On his experience as interim head coach: It meant a lot, it taught me a lot. I know I can truly do this job. It taught me patience, the role of one of the biggest jobs in college football. It taught me I have a special bond with people, my players. When I go forward in coaching, I have to take advantage of that and really build on that. I’m a trust guy. I always tell my guys when I recruit them that I will give trust first. You can trust me second. Trust is earned. That’s why they care for me. It’s been a good run for me.

Rutgers coach Greg Schiano

Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano reacts during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at SHI Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

On the game: Tough loss probably undersells it a little bit. I feel really, really bad for the players down there in that locker room. They are hurting. As I told them, right, life is tough. Sometimes you don't feel like you deserve this or deserve that. It's not about deserving. It's about, what are you going to do next? And that's what I'm faced with and certainly that's what a locker room full of players and coaches are faced with; and that's what the fan base is faced with and the administration is faced with and all those things. I know what I'm going to do. I've got a pretty good idea of what the rest of them are going to do, too.

On what he said to Athan Kaliakmanis after the fumble: I love him. He's done incredible things here. Incredible. Think about a couple years, our passing game, think about what he's been able to accomplish, he's a 3,000-yard passer. And more importantly just to watch him grow as a leader and grow, it's hard. It's really hard. Because he's the ultimate competitor, and he feels like he let people down. But I told him, 'You didn't let anybody down. You're the reason we're in the game at the fourth quarter.'

On not being able to close out the win: There's a lot of things, right? You could point to this play or that play. Overall, we didn't stop the run. When we were able to stop the run and they tell them to third down, we got them. I think we were 1-for-8 but they ran for 300 yards. So, it's hard. Hard to win football games what you can't stop the run. Yet there were times we did. There were times that the guys executed it perfectly. So look, it's frustrating. It's been frustrating all year. Just got to get it fixed.

On the 4th-and-1 play that Penn State stopped: Whether the call works or not doesn't mean it's a good call, right? Sometimes there's tremendous athletic performance that stops it. Sometimes there's a schematic that stops it. But if you've never called plays, it's hard to understand. You have about 12 seconds to make a decision, and you know, you do it with all the information you have. I mean, there was a lot of great calls tonight, a lot of great plays tonight. Some bad ones, too. That was a heck of a football game, if you didn't lose it. It was a tremendous game to be a part of. But when you lose, it hurts.

On his vision for Rutgers: I've said it many times, is to bring championships to Rutgers, to bring Big Ten Championships to Rutgers and to bring National Championships to Rutgers. I don't believe there's any reason we can't do that here. I've been saying that since 2000. Someone said, Oh, you've been saying it for 25 years. Sometimes you have to look where you started and where you restarted. But if somebody is crazy enough to keep doing it, well, who knows, maybe we'll just get there.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis (16) reacts after his fumble was returned for a touchdown by Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Amare Campbell. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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