The Penn State Nittany Lions spent this bye week picking up the pieces of the James Franklin firing and a fourth loss, this time to Iowa. As drastic as their situation might seem, interim head coach Terry Smith won’t allow his Lions to quit. Smith claims the word quit, “isn’t in my vocabulary.”
According to Sports Illustrated, Smith said, “You’ve got to give your soul. Things aren’t going our way right now, but the only way to get out of the storm is to run through the storm. And we’re going to run through the storm until we get out of the storm”, Smith added. Following the Franklin firing and Smith’s promotion to interim head coach, Smith promised to put a better football product on the field. With a disappointing one-point loss to Iowa, Penn State finds themselves under.500 for the first time in five years.
Despite the most recent loss, Smith is pleased the team’s effort. On Tuesday, Smith reiterated that he would have these players playing hard. “They played extremely hard. They left it up there, and now the key is, finish” Smith said. The team’s second bye week came at an important time considering the circumstances. The bye week should allow Smith to take a breath, focus the team and prepare for their most difficult test of their season to this point, No. 1 Ohio State.
Smith has been with the program for over ten years. Prior to the Franklin firing he served as the cornerbacks coach and was named Associate Head Coach back in 2021. Smith is also the lone remaining coach from Franklin’s original staff. As for the role of head coach, even if temporary, is a significant change in responsibilities and Smith is well aware of that. “This is a CEO job, and it's so much more than coaching guys on the football field. It’s all the organization, it’s the media, you’re running everything,” said Smith.
Penn State will need to play complimentary football to keep up with the Buckeyes
Ohio State next week provides an incredible challenge. The Buckeyes are the top team in the nation and 14 spots higher on the Big Ten standings than Penn State. The Penn State offense, without starting QB Drew Allar, will need to play well if Penn State is to stay with Ohio State throughout the course of the game. The defense might prove to be more critical for a game against Ohio State. Penn State allowed 26 points per game from their last four opponents. All of which were losses and only one of which (Oregon) is thought to be within range of Ohio State.
A Penn State team trying to rebuild what they are, on the fly, is a difficult enough task on its own. However, an Ohio State loss to Penn State would be the high mark of Penn State’s 2025 season. It would also be catastrophic for Ohio State one week prior to the expected No. 1 Ohio State vs No. 2 Indiana matchup. A Penn State win over Ohio State is wildly unlikely but could provide something for the players of Penn State to fight for.
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