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Terry Smith recaps Penn State's 28-10 win over Michigan State

Mug-Shot 4x4by: Ryan Snyder9 hours agoRyanSnyderOn3

Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith got his first win on Saturday, defeating Michigan State on the road, 28-10. Following a six-game losing streak, the Nittany Lions came into the game as a 7-point favorite against the Spartans, who were also winless in the Big Ten.

It looked ominous to start the game when Michigan State running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver took his first carry of the game 57 yards for a touchdown. However, that proved to be the only touchdown of the day for the Spartans, as Penn State’s defense held Michigan State to just 172 yards the rest of the game.

“I’m super happy for our kids, I’m super happy for our program. I’m super happy for our fans and our following. We deserved this game. We now know, again, what it feels like to win,” Smith said after the game.

Highs & Lows: Penn State muscles past Michigan State, 28-10

Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer finished 8 for 13 with a modest 127 yards and two touchdowns. He had just one completion in the second half, and that was largely because of Penn State’s ground game, which finished with 240 yards total. Kaytron Allen led the way with 181 yards on 25 carries.

“Win by any means necessary. We know between Kaytron and Nick Singleton, they have to touch the ball,” Smith said. “I always say, if they’re touching the ball, it means we have a chance to win, and man, did we win today behind those guys. We’re going to play Penn State football. This was an old-school Big Ten game. We dominated up front and we threw the ball when necessary. It was efficient. The touchdown pass to Devonte [Ross] was huge. It was critical because we showed them that we can throw the ball down the field and backed them just enough to allow us to run the football.”

Defensively, Penn State held Michigan State to just one third-down conversion the entire game. Linebacker Amare Campbell led the team with six tackles, but edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton had two massive sacks in the second.

The Nittany Lions now return home next week for its final home game of the 2025 season against Nebraska.