Credit: Matthew O’Haren/Imagn Images
Penn State Nittany Lion Football will look different in 2026. Gone is James Franklin’s leadership that crafted Penn State into a National Championship Contender only a year ago. Next season’s sideline at Penn State will have former Iowa State Head Coach Matt Campbell walking between the hash-marks at Beaver Stadium.
On Saturday — a disappointing campaign culminated with a quality win with a 22–10 over Clemson — another nationally-recognized program trying to retain the on-field glory of seasons past.
The 2025 Bad Boy Mowers PinStipe Bowl kicked off with a defensive struggle between Terry Smith’s Nittany Lions Dabo Sweeney’s Clemson Tigers. After a late second quarter drive and a 6–3 halftime lead — the Nittany Lions pulled out to a 15–3 advantage after a 43-yard field goal and a 73-yard touchdown connection between Grunkemeyer and Trebor Pena and missed two-point conversion.
Clemson appeared to be back in the game when Adam Randall scored a touchdown Penn State turned the ball over on downs. But then Grunkemeyer found Andrew Rappleyea for an eleven-yard score with just under five minutes left in the contest.
Penn State’s offense got hot in frigid temperatures. The snow cleared sidelines had a 19-degree temperature at kickoff at Yankee Stadium.
The post Recap: A Transitional Win For Penn State appeared first on Philadelphia Sports Nation.
