Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541990
1 4 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M They Said It "Last week, I came in with a lot of energy. This week, I'm just thankful we won a game. I'm thankful we have an opportunity to go to a bowl game. I'm thankful for these guys who played their hearts out for all of us." — Interim head football coach Terry Smith following Penn State's 40-36 victory over Rutgers to end the regular season, a win that came one week after a 37-10 rout of Nebraska "It meant a lot for this team. It just shows the adversity we've been through and how we never stopped fighting. Coach Terry is a big part of that." — Senior running back Nicholas Singleton on Penn State becoming bowl-eligible with its win over Rutgers "Coach Terry has really illustrated the grit- tiness of the game again. It was like, 'Let's go beat these guys up, let's go be physical, let's go make them feel our pain.' There ain't nobody I want to do that for other than Coach Terry." — Redshirt sophomore tight end Andrew Rappleyea after Penn State's win over the Scarlet Knights "We expected him to go out and be great. He's been showing flashes of things that you see in the games in practice. For him to do it on a consistent level, I guess maybe was the expectation, and he's been able to do so." — Center Nick Dawkins on the steady development of redshirt freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer "Everything is a lesson. I'll never forget what happened and why it happened. But also, the good times — I'm going to remem- ber those as well." — Defensive tackle Zane Durant, reflecting on his final season at PSU after the Nittany Lions' win over Nebraska on Senior Day "Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane was dominant again this week against Nebraska. The Nittany Lions ran for 231 yards, in part because of Ioane's blocking. He drives DTs off the ball. He sustains well and gets movement on field blocks. He can get to the second level and torque defenders out of the way. And he's incredibly agile for 6-foot-4 and 330 pounds. Ioane is the clear top interior blocker in the class, and he's locked into the first round. Cowboys guard Tyler Booker went 12th in April, and I think Ioane could go just as high; I'd predict something in the 12-25 range. He brings experience (30 starts) and consistency." — ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. on Ioane's outlook ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, for which he is expected to declare following his redshirt junior season "Penn State running back Kaytron Allen has been scorching hot down the stretch. Despite a disappointing season for the Nittany Lions, he has 567 rushing yards and five rushing scores over the past three games. He went for 226 yards and a score against Rutgers. Allen is a tough, hard-nosed runner who can break through contact with ease, as he uses his 5-foot-11, 217-pound frame well. Allen is still viewed as a middle-round pick, but for teams that are looking to add a physical runner to a committee, he will be a popular option." — ESPN analyst Jordan Reid on Allen, who will enter the NFL Draft next spring following his senior season with the Nittany Lions PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS "Never give up — I feel like that's been our story this year. Everything that happened, facing that adver- sity, kind of hurt us. Being able to fight back and put the pieces back together and get back in the win column was huge, and we just kept on [improving] from there." — Redshirt senior linebacker Dominic DeLuca on the three- game winning streak with which PSU ended its regular season