Penn State category, Page 4
Penn State football can still make a bowl game, but would it go?
Penn State football is roiled in the middle of an epic five-game losing streak. The Nittany Lions have lost their head coach, their starting quarterback and, certainly enough, their once-promising ways during the past month. But could this team still play in the postseason? Interim head coach Terry Smith was...
In coach Chandler McCabe’s 2nd season, Robert Morris women expected to contend for Horizon title
In one season, Robert Morris women’s basketball coach Chandler McCabe went from simply trying to get a once-proud program back on its feet to steering a league championship contender. A late-season surge boosted the Colonials from a 1-7 Horizon League record to 10-10. RMU even won its Horizon tournament opener....
Penn State keeps game tight in 1st half before top-ranked Ohio State pulls away for winVideo
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State’s defense received plenty of attention entering Saturday’s game against Penn State, especially with former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles coming back to Ohio Stadium. However, it was the Buckeyes’ increasingly high-powered offense that made sure Knowles’ return wasn’t hospitable. Julian Sayin passed for 316 yards and...
Penn State and coach Mike Rhoades are retooling with a young, inexperienced roster
Mike Rhoades had to build a roster on the fly when he was hired two seasons ago at Penn State. He’s had to do it again in his third year in Happy Valley where the Nittany Lions have one of the youngest groups in the country. With just three holdovers...
Top-ranked Ohio State looks to continue rolling along when it hosts reeling Penn State
Penn State thought it finally got a leg up on Ohio State in January when defensive coordinator Jim Knowles left Columbus for Happy Valley to become the highest-paid assistant coach in college football. It ended up being a temporary setback, and, in the long run, made the Buckeyes better. Matt...
2 Penn State seniors are trending up, another down before Ohio State game
Penn State has an uphill climb to take any positives from its remaining five games. Tilts with No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana are up next, followed by more-winnable games against Michigan State, Nebraska and Rutgers. The Nittany Lions need victories in at least three of those games...
No. 1 Ohio State preparing for 5-game stretch to close the regular season, starting with Penn State
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Top-ranked Ohio State is rested twice over and preparing to finish the regular season with a five-game stretch that culminates in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Buckeyes’ open weekends (Sept. 20 and Oct. 25) essentially broke the season into thirds for coach Ryan Day and his staff. They...
Penn State interim coach Terry Smith details challenge of facing No. 1 Ohio State
Penn State is in the middle of a four-game losing streak, its worst since 2020, and things won’t get any easier this weekend against No. 1 Ohio State. Interim coach Terry Smith said the Nittany Lions are “looking forward” to the challenge they’ll face in Columbus on Saturday. “This is...
Steelers need to correct TE debacle before facing Colts’ Tyler Warren
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth isn’t the least bit surprised at the success Indianapolis Colts rookie Tyler Warren is having in his first NFL season at the position. “They do a good job of setting him up on play action. Getting him out to the flat, getting him in...
Which Penn State quarterbacks will play vs. No. 1 Ohio State?
Penn State football may have to rely on its final scholarship quarterback option at No. 1 Ohio State. While redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkeyemer is scheduled to make his second college start Saturday in Ohio Stadium, his backup could be a true freshman with no game experience and even limited practice...
Penn State’s Andy Kotelnicki committing to scheme, personnel changes in preparation for No. 1 Ohio State
UNIVERSITY PARK — Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki can’t explain Penn State’s futility so far this season. But he has learned a hard lesson that might still benefit the Nittany Lions as they continue their bye week soul-searching before visiting No. 1 Ohio State on Nov. 1. “No matter who you...
Top storylines for Terry Smith, Penn State to focus on during bye week
When it comes to bye weeks, what a difference a month (or so) makes. Penn State was 3-0 after mashing Villanova, 52-6, on Sept. 13 at Beaver Stadium. A confident group of Nittany Lions’ players and coaches headed into their first bye week with extra time to prepare and rest...
Where Penn State’s recruits stand a week after James Franklin’s firing
Penn State has 21 high school seniors who remain committed in its Class of 2026 after coach James Franklin was fired Oct. 12. Though, many members of that group are “exploring other options” and visiting alternate suitors in the Power 4 conferences. Fort Cherry safety Matt Sieg and Imani Christian...
‘We can’t get stops’: Penn State defense allows historic performance from Iowa QB in 4th straight loss
Terry Smith told NBC’s broadcast in the lead-up to Saturday’s game at Iowa that his Nittany Lions would “shock the world” amid turmoil from James Franklin’s firing this week. However, the interim coach led a Penn State group that fell to the Hawkeyes, 25-24. And the most shocking part was...
Iowa rallies late, sends Penn State to its 4th consecutive loss
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski rushed for a career-high 130 yards and two touchdowns, and Kaden Wetjen scored the go-ahead touchdown on an 8-yard run with 3:54 to play as the Hawkeyes defeated Penn State, 25-24, on Saturday night. The Hawkeyes (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) trailed 24-19...
‘I was in shock’: James Franklin opens up on being fired by Penn State
James Franklin spoke publicly for the first time Saturday since he was fired by Penn State on Oct. 12. Franklin joined the ESPN “College GameDay” set only three weeks after he appeared on the show ahead of the Nittany Lions’ Sept. 27 game against Oregon, back when Penn State was...
Former Penn State coach James Franklin to appear on ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’
The bombshell story of the college football season thus far dropped last weekend, with the Penn State Nittany Lions officially firing coach James Franklin after a 3-3 start, which featured three straight losses in the Big Ten. In the days since, athletic director and players have spoken, and just about...
Penn State’s Drew Allar could be healthy for pre-draft process after successful surgery
After suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Saturday’s loss to Northwestern, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar underwent surgery Wednesday. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the surgery was successful and puts Allar on track for a full recovery. He should be able to resume workouts “sometime in the upcoming months,” which...
Could Penn State see a raft transfers with James Franklin fired?
In the current era of college football, when the transfer portal has run rampant, it’s common to see players respond to a coach’s firing by sitting out the season, preserving a redshirt and transferring at year’s end. Now that Penn State has parted with James Franklin, is that something Nittany...
New Penn State QB Ethan Grunkemeyer could be a ‘bolt of energy’
UNIVERSITY PARK — The most recent time Penn State traveled to Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium, in 2021, a Nittany Lions backup quarterback took center stage. Ta’Quan Roberson relieved an injured Sean Clifford midway through the game and couldn’t hold onto an early lead, falling 23-20 in a battle of top-four opponents....
Ethan Grunkemeyer ready for 1st career start at Iowa as Penn State tries to salvage season
UNIVERSITY PARK — Ethan Grunkemeyer was immediately swarmed by reporters as he emerged from the locker room after Penn State practice. As bodies and cameras enveloped him Wednesday night, the quarterback’s eyes glanced back toward his teammates. One shouted, “Yeah Grunk! Man of the hour!” Grunkemeyer, who will make his...
Why Penn State’s 2025 season still matters after disastrous start
To many, Penn State’s season is a complete wash. Quarterback Drew Allar is out for the season, James Franklin is out as coach and the team has lost three straight games. A preseason national championship favorite could realistically miss out on a bowl game for the first time since 2020....
Friends, family reflect on Gateway’s Terry Smith coaching Penn State: ‘He just cared so much’
A Zoom conference call Tuesday morning brought together many of Terry Smith’s family and friends from his time growing up on Firethorn Drive in Monroeville’s Garden City neighborhood. Harvey Smith, Terry’s older brother by a few years and a coaching colleague at Gateway for nearly a decade, helped lead the...
Penn State football players talk James Franklin, feel ‘like we got our coach fired’
The Penn State football world is swirling for the players this week. They are still trying to absorb the loss of their longtime head coach while preparing for another defining game Saturday, this time at revving Iowa. They are also trying to find the means to break a stunning three-game...
‘It’s a hit to Penn State’: State College dreary and subdued after firing of James Franklin
STATE COLLEGE — Former Penn State offensive lineman Landon Tengwall was shocked by the firing of the university’s longtime football coach, James Franklin. “It has been full-on shock,” Tengwall, 23, of State College told TribLive on Monday. “A lot of people seemed to understand that it needed to be done,...
