In the aftermath of Penn State’s emotional 37-10 win over Nebraska on Saturday, several Nittany Lions held signs high into the night sky displaying a simple, three-word message: Hire Terry Smith.
Fans chanted Smith’s name throughout the second half and the student section waited for him to depart through the tunnel so they could greet him with support, a full 180 from the reception James Franklin received walking off the field last month.
After a dominant victory over a respected Cornhusker squad that entered at 7-3, Smith earned his first win in Beaver Stadium as interim head coach and second overall after Penn State downed Michigan State last week.
Smith said last week he hasn’t formally interviewed for the vacant head coaching job, but he views the on-field product as his interview. (CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello reported Penn State will conduct a formal interview with Smith this week.) He promised “no one will every question a Terry Smith team that they don’t play hard,” and so far, that’s been hard to argue.
For the most part, Smith hasn’t been considered a legitimate candidate for the job, but that seemed to shift given the reaction from fans and players.
After the game, Smith and his players made the pitch to drop “interim” off his title. Here’s what they said.
Interim head coach Terry Smith: “I was always ready to be a head coach. I was a head coach for 12 years in high school. It’s a different level, but leading men is leading men. Coaching is coaching. It’s no different than when I worked for Matt Rhule as a receivers coach. I came here for James Franklin, and I went to DB coach. Coaching is coaching. I went from taking DB history here at Penn State, that we didn’t put DBs in the NFL, to now we’re one of the tops in the country … I have gifts that I don’t even realize I have. I’m a leader of men. You guys see it. You’re witnessing it every day.
Defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton: “Coach Terry’s always one of the most honest coaches I’ve ever been around. That’s why we all love him, we’d do anything for him. He talks all the time about how he deserves it, and that’s why we’re rooting for him.”
Running back Kaytron Allen: “I appreciate him for believing in me, giving me these opportunities. A few years ago, I went to their house for Thanksgiving, because I couldn’t have Thanksgiving here. So it just means everything, just coming in full circle for real. I’m glad I got the opportunity to do it with Coach Terry … He should be the next head coach.”
Running back Nick Singleton: “I’m gonna sell this right now, Terry should be the next head coach. I’m gonna tell y’all this right now, he’s the next head coach. He should be the next head coach. He just brings energy every time, when we first heard he would be the (interim) head coach, he brought energy to the whole team, offense, defense, special teams, whole coaching staff and all that. So he’s been phenomenal.”
Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer: “How the players respond, we love coach Smith. And I think that’s part of it, finding a guy that you know loves his place and that we’re going to respond to. His energy, his emotion, and how he carries himself. So just the way he goes about his stuff, like we’re gonna follow that, regardless of what direction it is. We’re gonna respond to him, and on the field, just play hard for him.”
Offensive tackle Nolan Rucci: “This is a guy who’s been part of this program for a decade or more, poured blood, sweat and tears into this thing, has been around since my dad was playing, and so I have that special connection with him. And since he’s taken over and just rallied the team together, man, it’s been so special. I feel like these guys love him. I feel like the community is finally starting to turn things around and love him as well. I really hope he gets that opportunity at the end of the season, man, because just the way we’ve being playing, the way the guys have loved up on him, it’s been such a fun season so far.
Defensive tackle Zane Durant: “He’s honest and straightforward. We all love coach Terry. He don’t hide, he don’t tell jokes. Whatever it is, he’s gonna straightforward tell you, whether you like it or not. That’s what helped us grow, face our season in the right direction. Everybody respects the heck out of him. He knows how to conduct the room.”
Wide receiver Trebor Peña: “He’s such a good dude, such a good motivator, everybody loves him, and we just stand by him, and he gets us ready to go. Like, as simple as that, he’s just a guy, everybody respects him, everybody loves him. And I think that just shows how the crowd reacts, how the team reacts.”
“I think it’s just how honest and how real he is. A lot of coaches, they might tell you what you want to hear, sounds good, but he won’t tell you how it is. Regardless of the situation, he’s trying to get the best out of everybody. And even in this tough situation, this tough season, he’s done such a great job getting us ready to go and getting us motivated and playing for something bigger, and that’s why I respect him so much.”
Linebacker Dom DeLuca: “He’s brought us back together. I mean, he put all the broken pieces back. He did everything he could for us to fight and to change our whole culture. When you lose a head coach midseason, that hurts. Just everything he’s done, he’s a true Penn State guy, too, I mean through and through. Everyone’s behind him, everyone wants to play for him. I mean, he gets us fired up and we love everything.”
“We’re just going to keep on trying to win, and maybe, hopefully it leads to (him becoming the next head coach). And I mean, we all have coach Terry’s back. I mean, we love playing for him. We love everything about him and what he does for our team.”
