After beating Michigan State on the road, Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith said his team finally figured out how to win games on its terms. Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki also admitted the Nittany Lions (4-6, 2-6 Big Ten) tried to be a team they never were.
Penn State players and fans found their head coach, even though he hasn't been hired
Following a dominant 37-10 win over Nebraska in Week 13, that couldn't have been any clearer. Penn State finally reminded itself why it had championship hopes to start the 2025 season. The defense sparked again and the offense tapped back into its strengths with the run game.
Running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen combined for 204 yards on the ground on Saturday and four touchdowns, two a piece. Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer threw for 181 yards on 11-of-12 completions, finishing with a 92 percent completion rate.
Kotelnicki and Grunkemeyer used the pass game wisely and put most of their eggs in Allen's and Singleton's baskets to drive the offense.
Honestly, it hurts a bit watching the glimpses of what this team should’ve been.
— Penn State Talk (@PSURecruitTalk) November 23, 2025
Earlier in the season, Kotelnicki and now-Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin tried molding quarterback Drew Allar into a quarterback he never was while dismissing the talents in the star rushers, mellowing their performances through the first nine games.
Seeing the offense, especially piece back together paired with a new energy erupting on defense, the Nittany Lions are finally living up to their preseason standards. Even in the aftermath of emotional victories, though, there's an aftertaste of sadness lingering.
No, it hurts ALOT. This didn't have to happen, if the people in charge would not have extended that guy. Btw, whoever is responsible should be let go too.
— @jr34Jackie (@20319c811dc44e1) November 23, 2025
Fans noted how valuable the run game is and how Penn State veered away from how the team with these players was built. In recognizing that, the frustrations with Franklin — despite him already being employed with a new team and vanishing from Happy Valley after his firing — continue.
"Franklin owes his players an apology," one fan wrote.
"Franklin has been holding this team down the whole time," another commented.
"A bit?" a fan responded under PSURecruitTalk's original post. "The entire second half besides Allen's record was all I could think about. How a talent rich team wasted this season. All the one score games — Oregon, UCLA, NW, Iowa, and Indiana. This is a 11-1 B1G championship and first round bye caliber team."
Amidst the anger directed at Franklin is support for Smith. Fans commented, saying Smith is the leader of the Nittany Lions and that he was the answer the locker room needed in 2025 from the jump. Smith brought the team back to its identity and gave the players a reason to win. Whether that's enough to give him a full-time role is yet to be decided.