Live updates: Terry Smith weekly press conference
Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith is addressing reporters on Monday afternoon following his Nittany Lions’ latest setback, a 38-14 loss at No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday. Dropping to 3-5 on the season, with an 0-5 mark in Big Ten play, the program’s road gets no easier this weekend when it hosts No. 2-ranked Indiana.
Follow our live updates from the press conference, here:
Live updates: Terry Smith weekly press conference
(Press conference has ended at 12:24 p.m.)
Nick as return guy
11/03/2025 11:24:19 AMWant the ball in his hands, another opportunity for him, but as game went on and played out, wanted to get some of those other guys opportunities. Two young guys they want to see what they have and their ability and sometimes that happens with young players.
Staffing changes
11/03/2025 11:23:31 AMIt’s not as easy as just making a change. Players, camaraderie, trust. You have to have solutions for it. Examining it every single day. Losing sleep because just trying to brainstorm how to fix it. Will continue to examine it and make best decision possible.
On getting TEs more involved in passing game
11/03/2025 11:23:06 AMHave had conversations to get them more involved and part of that is the play action game. Nick got going a little bit on Saturday. Kaytron has had a good year. Time to develop the play action with crossing routes and those things for TEs. Need to develop passing game as a whole with those guys included.
1991 team
11/03/2025 11:21:36 AMLost two games in that season. Wasn’t a perfect season. But would inject the finish. Finished that season great. Went and won the Fiesta Bowl that year against Tennessee. But have to just press forward. In the storm. Can’t run from it. Have to embrace it and fight it, together. Locker room still together. Sooner or later this will turn and pass. It’s a great group of guys in the locker room. So much respect for players and how they’re handling it. Will play hard on Saturday and will do a couple of things differently to create a different outcome.
Personnel decisions this weekend
11/03/2025 11:20:11 AMThought Tatsch did a really good job against Ohio State. With Rapp, wanted to go bigger bodies. He’s a big, strong, tough guy. Wanted him involved a little more. And up front, have 6-7 guys that can play and move around. Wanted to take advantage of that.
Cignetti
11/03/2025 11:19:15 AMHe’s an outstanding coach. His entire family, all men that have been coaching. He has a methodical approach to things and he’s a player developer. Runs a great program. JMU, Elon, everywhere he has had success. Guys buy into the program and once you get buy in and trust, you can do special things. They’re playing as well as anyone in the country. Respect everything he’s doing.
Cignetti
11/03/2025 11:18:52 AMHe’s an outstanding coach. His entire family, all men that have been coaching. He has a methodical approach to things and he’s a player developer. Runs a great program. JMU, Elon, everywhere he has had success. Guys buy into the program and once you get buy in and trust, you can do special things. They’re playing as well as anyone in the country. Respect everything he’s doing.
On recruiting guys to stay
11/03/2025 11:17:25 AMThey’re very difficult conversations because reality is no one knows who will be here. Next coach could wipe entire building out. Trying to keep feet on the ground and be professionals. Young men in locker room deserve that. As staff, have to give 110 percent for these guys and that’s what they’ll do. Focusing on beating Indiana this week.
Koby and Denmark
11/03/2025 11:16:20 AMChallenge is 50 different personnel groups for certain plays, so you can’t just plug and play because young guys don’t know entire play book. That’s the challenge with young guys. Have to tutor these guys and get them more meeting time so they’re available for more opportunities.
Evaluating AK in two games as play caller
11/03/2025 11:15:20 AMAlways room for improvement. How to improve pass game, get the ball down the field. YAC yards is good right there, extension of the run game. But have to figure out ways to push the ball down the field. He’s aware of that and making conscious effort to do that this week.
Conversations about a bowl
11/03/2025 11:15:28 AMHaven’t had those conversations as a team. Trying to win this week and as they continue to win, why wouldn’t they want to continue to play football? This is what they signed up to do, want to take advantage of every opportunity ahead of them. Would talk to players, and feeling based on how they’re performing right now, if they win enough to get bowl eligibility, think they would play because they haven’t laid down yet.
What’s holding Koby Howard back
11/03/2025 11:13:29 AMThe challenge with any young player, especially freshmen, is learning the system completely. A ton of plays with a ton of options off every particular play. With young receivers, may run routes short or not quite where they need to be, or quarterback wants them. So coordinator might not have confidence to put them in that spot. Koby loves to compete and loves football. Got in against Iowa and Ohio State. Have to get him opportunity to shine. Koby is going to be on the field on Saturday.
Leadership through this
11/03/2025 11:12:10 AMSuper proud of this team, the leadership. These guys could have packed it in weeks ago, laid down and quit. They refuse to do that. When you see what Vega did coming up the ramp and help out like that, it’s a testamony to the guys in the locker room, to Penn State, to the program and how things are run here. Locker room full of guys like that doing things the right way. Going through some tough times right now, but it doesn’t change their character.
Betting rules on hold
11/03/2025 11:11:01 AMSimple conversation was rule was supposed to pass last week and it’s on hold. So telling them not to do that right now. Educate them on pros and cons, and if they choose to do that, educate them to not have it affect their careers.
Situation in quarterback room
11/03/2025 11:10:07 AMEthan continues to grow. He’s getting better. Better this game than last. Have to give him more opportunities. He missed a dig to Kyron Hudson that came open. Those are the throws he has to make. Also threw a couple of critical third downs. Continuing to grow, just needs more opportunity to develop.
Caleb Downs targeting
11/03/2025 11:09:06 AMThe referees get paid to do a job. From naked eye, looked like the definition of targeting. The reaction to it, play a violent game and hits happen all the time. That’s called discipline. Not going to react to it. Let the refs referee.
Helping passing game
11/03/2025 11:08:05 AMContinuing to examine that. Almost sound like a broken record. His job to make sure it gets changed. Will this week. Talking with offensive staff. Going to push the ball further down the field. The stat running around is 102 YAC yards from the game and 145 total, which means ball still going horizontally. Have to develop play action and intermediate game and take more shots there. Then selective 5-7 shots vertically down the field. Have to get it fixed. Will throw the ball down the field this week.
Ball going over heads, fixing it with Indiana on deck
11/03/2025 11:06:34 AMGotta get it fixed this week. These two receivers at Indiana have more touchdowns than the Ohio State guys, so not getting any easier. Play-action, take a shot, RPO. His job to get more involved in corner room to make more points of emphasis. The style of play they play, sitting on routes a little too much. A lack of respect for the opponent. But playing guys who run routes and have their speed, have to get into pedal and stay on top of receivers. Point of emphasis to stay more on top of those guys.
Defensive line, not able to get pass rush and sacks this season
11/03/2025 11:05:06 AMThere’s a couple of different reasons. Completely different defense. This is more gap control. Last year push up the field. Different philosophy. Also don’t have Abdul Carter. Felt they got a lot more pressure this weekend. Have to continue to develop that and get more pressure on the quarterback.
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