Terry Smith on Penn State trailing Ohio State 17-14 at halftime: 'We got a shot'

Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith bleeds Penn State blue and white and the Nittany Lions showed it in the first half. A late surge cut the lead 17-14 as they trailed No. 1 Ohio State on the road.

Simply put, virtually no one expected the Nittany Lions to be in the game at this point. Especially after the first drive, it looked like it’d be all Buckeyes Saturday afternoon.

Still, Smith and Penn State brought the fight to Columbus. He spoke with FOX’s Jenny Taft before going into the locker room.

“Yeah, we’re just going to continue to fight,” Smith said on the broadcast. “(Had a) big time forced fumble, fumble recovery. The offense has done a great job. Two out of the last three possessions, we punched in touchdowns. We got to carry this momentum into the half and just keep fighting.”

Smith’s love for the school was expressed through his words and emotions. His players certainly showed it, even though Penn State was a vast underdog going into this one.

“Yeah, I’m Penn State, through and through,” Smith said. “I just love the game of football. It’s given me so much. I love opportunities like this, the game is 17-14, going in the half against the number one team in the country, we got a shot.”

Trailing 17-7, Penn State had to punt it back to Ohio State. But the turning point of the half was Dani Dennis-Sutton forcing a fumble and the Nittany Lions jumping on it on the ensuing play. Then, Kaytron Allen was able to punch in a touchdown, keeping it a one-score game going into the locker room.

Following its third loss over the course of its four-game losing streak, Penn State parted ways with head coach James Franklin, who had been with the program since 2014. Smith was promoted to interim head coach and will lead the way for the remainder of the season.

“I’m the head coach and they told me I can make all final decisions,” Smith said. “There’s no need to make any changes right now, so that’s how I see it.”

Despite losing to Iowa two weeks ago, Penn State might’ve found a new gear Saturday. We’ll see what the second half brings inside the Horseshoe.