Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith Wednesday practice update: Indiana

The Penn State Nittany Lions face the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday in their second matchup with a top-five team in as many weeks. After opening up practice on Wednesday evening, interim head coach Terry Smith spoke with reporters afterward. You can hear his full comments on the Blue White Illustrated YouTube Channel, or embedded below.

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Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith press conference

Despite another uphill climb, Smith and Penn State fans want to see progress from the 3-5 Nittany Lions. However, that may be challenging against Indiana’s attacking-style defense. It’s similar in some aspects to former Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz’s scheme. Smith said that they get elements of that from their own defense in practice.

“Manny’s defense was a movement defense. It’s a vertical defense. These guys are that way. They move a lot. You know, we have to make sure we stay ahead of the sticks. They pride themselves on a lot of movement, getting you behind the sticks, second and long, third and long. It’s tough to call plays that way. You know, we got to get positive yards. We got to get four or five yards on first down. That way we have a couple downs to chip away at the first down. So it is challenging. We’re preparing, but we’ve seen it. You know, we still have our Prowler package on defense. And so we get to see it with our good on good in practice,” he said.

He also addressed the status and health of Penn State backup quarterback Jaxon Smolik.

Lions gets another Big Noon Kick

Despite the team’s struggles so far this year, Penn State is in line for its second Big Nook Kickoff on Fox in as many weeks. We’ll have coverage of the early game starting at 9 a.m. on the Blue White Illustrated YouTube Channel with the Penn State Football Tailgate Show. Produced in conjunction with Seven Mountains Media, the Tailgate Show gives you 90 minutes of football talk leading up to game day.

Of course, before then, we still have plenty to discuss with the Penn State football team. Join the BWI Live Recruiting Show on Thursday at 10 a.m. to get a recap of practice and what the team might try to do this weekend to attract recruits to campus for the big game. Of course, we’ll give you our game preview and predictions during the show!