Penn State football earned its first Big Ten win of the 2025 season at Michigan State on Saturday, hoisting the Land Grant Trophy alongside interim head coach Terry Smith.
As the Nittany Lions (4-6, 1-6 Big Ten) snapped their six-game losing streak, quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer got his first taste of victory as a starter, reaping the benefits of his progress through his four weeks in the new role.
Grunkemeyer technically had a more confident and promising performance against No. 2 Indiana in Week 11, but there were other areas of his game that stood out and helped project Penn State into the win column.
One of these areas was turnovers. Grunkemeyer walked out of East Lansing with zero interceptions. He had at least one in each of his games since becoming a starter. Against Iowa, his first starting appearance, Grunkemeyer had two. Against No. 1 Ohio State and the Hoosiers, he threw on a piece.
Without getting picked off, Grunkemeyer's 61.5 completion percentage on eight of 13 passes didn't dull the offense. Even 127 yards in the air was acceptable given how major some of those throws were.
Grunkemeyer threw his longest pass of his collegiate career on Saturday for 75 yards. In the second quarter while the Nittany Lions were down 10-7, the redshirt freshman connected with wide receiver Devonte Ross. Grunkemeyer's offensive line gave him enough time to settle and find Ross deep down the middle. Ross caught the ball at the 31-yard-line and took it all the way in for a touchdown to give Penn State the lead. This was a one-play drive, and it was all uphill from there for the blue and white.
This week's @SNICKERS Most Satisfying play of the game goes to Ethan Grunkemeyer's long touchdown pass to Devonte Ross in the @PennStateFball win over Michigan State. @SNICKERS Satisfies. #WeAre x @SNICKERS pic.twitter.com/XkORR4Vdy8
— Penn State Athletics (@GoPSUsports) November 17, 2025
Despite low numbers on the ground, Grunkemeyer looked more comfortable running the ball. Of course, he preferred his running backs to carry that weight, which Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen did. In the second half, Grunkemeyer proved he can adjust mid-game and improve parts of his performance on the fly.
Just knowing his ability to run the ball or make a quick decision is enough to have hope for the future given former quarterback Drew Allar's lack of success rushing. Grunkemeyer learned on Saturday that hesitation can and will stall an offense as well, hopefully motivating him to use his legs to his advantage more.
Growing pains should be expected still, but his performance against the Spartans was just a minor bump in the road. His journey into becoming a sound starter and reliable quarterback in Happy Valley won't be linear, but that doesn't mean he