For the final time before his team takes the field against No. 2 Indiana at Beaver Stadium, Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith met with the media on Wednesday night in Holuba Hall.
Smith provided new updates on his team’s effort level, spoke about potential player departures and praised a young offensive lineman.
Here’s what he said.
Energy evaluation
Unlike normal media viewing sessions, there was no music being played during Wednesday’s practice, and chatter was limited. When asked about the mood, which some considered sluggish, Smith adamantly disagreed.
“This is one of our better practices,” Smith said. “You guys don’t get to see our good-on-good, and we had a good-on-good right before you guys came out. And then we had individual periods … I thought yesterday was a great practice, today was a great practice. These guys are working hard. I’m super proud of the effort. And, you know, I thought today’s energy was fantastic.”
Last week, Smith made similar comments about the energy level, saying the team had its second best week of the year from a statistical standpoint, per player tracking data.
Roster retention
On Wednesday, the program confirmed redshirt sophomore tight end Joey Schlaffer is no longer with the program and removed him from the online roster, making him the first departure since James Franklin was fired.
When asked if he anticipates any more departures before the end of the season, Smith said he “doesn’t anticipate anyone else leaving.”
“The morale has been really good,” Smith said. “At the end of the day, we’re gonna play with who is here. These guys are excited to play a great Indiana team this weekend, and they’re preparing to go play hard for Saturday.”
Players will have a 15-day transfer portal window which begins five days after Penn State’s next head coach is announced, as well as the normal window in early January. While they can’t enter the portal currently, they have the option to opt out for the remainder of the season and enter when possible.
Quarterback quandary
Last Saturday at Ohio State, the Nittany Lions utilized wide receiver Liam Clifford in a special package which saw him taking snaps on multiple occasions. He was seen hanging around quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer during practice, while Jaxon Smolik and Bekkem Kritza weren’t.
Smith indicated Clifford will remain involved in the offense this week, calling him a “secret sauce,” and providing updates on the other two scholarship quarterbacks.
Smith said Jaxon Smolik, who served as Grunkemeyer’s backup at Iowa before an injury in the fourth quarter sidelined him, is still week-to-week. In addition, he said Kritza is dealing with sickness which has affected “a couple guys on the team.”
“We’re hoping we can get them back (for Saturday), but we’re not sure,” Smith said.
Captain Cousins
Former four-star recruit Cooper Cousins arrived on campus in 2024 and quickly generated buzz, impressing the coaching staff and teammates with his work ethic and college-ready skill set.
Cousins saw 172 total snaps last season and was in conversations to be a starter this year, but instead he’s been used sparingly in garbage time and in six- and seven-offensive linemen sets.
He’s credited with just 77 snaps this season, which Smith attributed partly to him dealing with injuries. The sophomore has played just 12 snaps since the start of Big Ten play, but Smith said he’s “back to full go”
Smith offered praise for his development and went as far as to call him a future team captain for the Nittany Lions.
“We’re trying to work him back into the lineup,” Smith said. “We have some good guys up front and, you know, it’s hard to crack a line with those guys, but he’s out there every day, and he’s working hard and he’s doing everything we ask him to do.”
