It had been 329 days since Penn State won a football game against a Power 4 opponent. A lot has changed since then, including the head coach of the program, so Nittany Lions fans were feeling all of the emotions on Saturday as their team finally got back into the win column, defeating Michigan State 28-10 for the Land Grant Trophy.
It was the first Big Ten win of the season for Penn State, it ended a six-game losing streak, and it was the first win for interim head coach Terry Smith. There hasn’t been much to celebrate for Penn State fans this year, unless you consider James Franklin’s dismissal worthy of celebration, so Penn State fans let it out on social media after Ethan Grunkemeyer took a knee in victory formation.
OH MY GOD WE ARE GOING TO WIN A FOOTBALL GAME
— Barstool Penn State (@PSUBarstool) November 15, 2025
Victory formation and Terry Smith picks up his first win as Penn State’s interim head coach!
— Penn State FB Thoughts (@PSU_FB_Thoughts) November 15, 2025
Penn State notches first Big Ten win of 2025 season
While it was Smith’s first win, it was his second time heading into halftime with a lead, and his third time playing with a lead in the second half. After last week’s blown fourth-quarter lead against Indiana, Penn State looked like a team that could find a way to lose any game, so until the Nittany Lions added two fourth-quarter touchdowns for insurance, any celebration would have been premature.
Mood pic.twitter.com/gqFCbDBYMX
— Penn State Talk (@PSURecruitTalk) November 15, 2025
FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE SEPTEMBER 13TH PENN STATE IS GONNA WIN A FOOTBALL GAME pic.twitter.com/XAEwXg9hsy
— Average eagles fan (@philly_fan4) November 15, 2025
Franklin may have never gotten over the hump as the head coach of Penn State, but for much of his 11+ year tenure in Happy Valley, his team won the games it was supposed to. That came to an end in 2025 with losses to UCLA and Northwestern, which ultimately doomed him, but it’s still an unfamiliar spot for the fanbase to hope that their team can fight its way back to bowl eligibility.
The win featured a big-time play from Grunkemeyer and wide receiver Devonte Ross in the first half, as they connected for a 75-yard touchdown. A play like that felt almost as unfamiliar as a win.
Mood pic.twitter.com/gqFCbDBYMX
— Penn State Talk (@PSURecruitTalk) November 15, 2025
This win is another step in that direction. Penn State needs to win its next two games against Nebraska and Rutgers to earn a spot in the postseason. Aside from 2020, the last time Penn State did not play in a bowl game was 2013, the final year of its postseason ban. The last time the program missed a bowl game without a ban, aside from the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, was 2004.