Now that he and the Penn State football team have had time to digest things, Terry Smith said it’s challenging to keep the team together.
“It starts with my title,” Smith said Monday. “I’m the interim head coach. That could be portrayed as the substitute teacher. There’s someone different at the helm.
“Our routines are the same (as they were under former coach James Franklin), but I’ve tweaked the schedule. We’re going to do things a little differently. Those guys in the locker room have bought into it.”
The Nittany Lions will need buy-in from everyone if they’re going to upset No. 1 Ohio State Saturday at noon (TV-FOX) at Ohio Stadium.
Penn State (0-4 Big Ten, 3-4) has dropped four straight games by a total of 13 points and hasn’t won since Sept. 13 against Villanova. The Lions also have dropped eight in a row against the Buckeyes (4-0, 7-0) and haven’t won in Columbus since 2011.
It’s no wonder why they’re three-touchdown underdogs for the first time since 2013.
“Obviously no one’s giving us a chance,” Smith said. “I’m going to re-emphasize that to our team. I don’t think we’ve ever been 20-point underdogs since I’ve been here. It’s motivation. No one believes in us.
“We’ll come out and fight like we did at Iowa, but we’re going to fight a little harder.”
Penn State began the season ranked second with national title hopes and expecting Saturday’s game to be a chance to stamp itself as a championship contender.
But after dropping a double-overtime game to Oregon, the Lions have lost to UCLA, Northwestern and Iowa, the last two by one point apiece. They also lost three-year starting quarterback Drew Allar, who suffered a season-ending leg injury in a 22-21 loss to the Wildcats.
Redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer, his backup, made the first start of his college career at Iowa and showed pocket presence. But he passed for only 93 yards and threw two interceptions, including one that set up a Hawkeyes touchdown.
Grunkemeyer returns to his home state this week after a stellar career at Olentangy High School, less than 20 miles from where he’ll face Ohio State.
“We have to put Grunk in position to succeed,” Smith said. “We can’t ask him to go out there and throw the ball 45 times and be effective and win that way. We have to create the run game and have some pass plays off the run game.
“We have to be able to give him some throws that are one- or two-read types of throws and not overcomplicate it for him.”
Allar returned to Penn State after his surgery two weeks ago and visited Smith Monday morning.
“Drew Allar has been around and has been very, very present,” Smith said. “He stopped in to see me this morning and asked how he could help support. We have that type of leadership.”
Known as the Lasch Building’s truth teller, Smith said he met with assistant coaches and staff members during the bye week last week. He said they had “some tough conversations.”
“It’s the only way I’m built,” he said. “It’s how I was raised and brought up. I’ve worked very hard in trying not to be so direct and deliver such a hard message.
“They (coaches and staff members) have been great. Everyone’s understanding. Everyone’s open to it. We’re just trying to figure out how to get a victory. Tough conversations are part of our business. They’re necessary.”
Just like the players who are trying to impress pro scouts and college coaches, Smith and the coaches are seeking to do their best for their futures.
“We have however many opportunities – games – left in the season,” he said. “We have to put it on film. We have to coach so that the film shows that we’re deserving of our next jobs. We owe it to these guys to pour into them and to give everything we can.
“We’re gonna work our tails off. We’re going to demand excellence, as we always have here. This week we’re going to try to figure out how to give that maximum effort with victory.”
