For the first time since taking over as interim head coach, Terry Smith met with the media for his weekly press conference as a winner — and he sounded like a man who doesn’t want to give the job back.
Fresh off a 28-10 throttling of Michigan State in East Lansing, Smith let the emotion pour out in the Beaver Stadium media room: pride in his players, gratitude for the avalanche of support, and a love for Penn State that runs deeper than the interim tag suggests.
Here’s what he talked about on Monday afternoon.
Penn State pride
Smith has arguably shown more emotion during his few weeks as Penn State’s head coach than James Franklin did in his entire tenure. When asked about his connection to the Nittany Lions, Smith referenced his dad, who graduated in 1968.
Smith recalled his upbringing in Aliquippa, which he described as “not a very nice place.” His father’s Penn State education allowed their family to move to Monroeville, where he played quarterback for Gateway High School before becoming a wide receiver for the Nittany Lions.
He said nine or 10 family members have degrees from the university, with another three current students.
“I just want to give back to it, hold up my end of the bargain, and put out a team everyone can be proud of,” Smith said.
He said he has two phones, each of which had 500 text messages and 500-600 direct messages from “every person I’ve ever known in my entire life.” He got choked up speaking about the influx of support he’s received since stepping into the interim role.
“God has been so good to me, through everything in my life, I have the opportunity to be the head coach at Penn State,” Smith said. “I don’t think anything has made me or my family happier than this opportunity.”
Senior sendoff
Saturday’s matchup against Nebraska will mark the Nittany Lions’ final home game of the season, which will serve as the team’s senior day.
The 2022 recruiting class, which ranked No. 6 nationally per the 247Sports composite, will take the field at Beaver Stadium one final time hoping to maintain bowl eligibility and secure their second consecutive win under Smith.
“We’re really looking forward to our fans showing up and supporting our team Saturday night with the same passion that we had at the last home game,” Smith said. “We’re going to recognize 30-plus seniors that have done so much for Penn State football and our community.”
The game will kickoff at 7 p.m., marking a rare November night game for Penn State, which Smith hopes will give proper recognition to the seniors. The group includes running back Kaytron Allen, who has the opportunity to break the program record for career rushing yards with 139.
Smith spoke about Allen’s four years in Happy Valley, going from a freshman who he had to “pull words out of,” to a leader within the running back room and on the team.
“He has matured tremendously,” Smith said. “He’s always been an extremely hard worker, and he’s always been super talented. Now you just see more personality out of him.
Daryus Dixson
Freshman Daryus Dixson earned his first career start against the Spartans and ended up playing the most snaps of any cornerback in the win. Smith called him part of the team’s “freshman movement.”
Dixson has a close relationship to Smith, who recruited him from California as the cornerbacks coach. The two share a special relationship, making his performance on Saturday more meaningful.
“He’s a guy that’s important to our future, and he continues to make big play after big play,” Smith said. “The moment’s not too big for him, he’s a super mature kid.”
After recording five tackles, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery, Dixson also became the first true freshman to speak to the media after a regular season game in over a decade.
“As far as the policy, it’s just a case by case,” Smith said. He’s very mature. He can handle it, and I thought he did a nice job.”
