Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541990
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6 3 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Pinstripe Bowl Preview overtime, and he's excited to be going back, even with the Nittany Lions having endured a tumultuous campaign. "As ultimate competitors, the goal is always to win," Smith said. "The mo- mentum of a victory helps your offsea- son workouts, your spring ball, and how you approach next season. We're looking forward to trying to gain that [win] and continue the momentum of our three- game winning streak [to end the regular season]. It's a tremendous opportunity for our guys, and they're looking forward to just enjoying our process of trying to get better and win one more game." Penn State will be facing a Clemson team that endured some struggles of its own this fall. Like the Nittany Lions, who started out ranked No. 2 in the As- sociated Press poll and tumbled out of the rankings altogether by midseason, the Tigers were also being hailed in the months leading up to the campaign as likely College Football Playoff partici- pants. Clemson was fourth in the pre- season poll, its CFP hopes buoyed by the presence of quarterback Cade Klubnik, a Heisman Trophy hopeful. The Tigers' season began going awry on opening day with a 17-10 home loss to LSU. Klubnik completed just 19 of 38 passes for 230 yards for the hosts, who came up short on an attempted fourth- down conversion to clinch LSU's upset victory. Clemson beat Troy, 27-16, the follow- ing week but lost its next two games to ACC foes Georgia Tech and Syracuse. Even before Penn State fell from CFP contention, Clemson was all but elimi- nated, and coach Dabo Swinney's team went on to drop games to SMU and Duke at midseason. But just as Penn State did in winning its last three games, Clemson rallied in November, ending the regular season with wins over Florida State, Louisville, Furman and South Carolina. The strong finish brightened Swin- ney's mood, and he was pleased to be able to guide the team to a bowl for the 21st consecutive year. That's the longest streak in the ACC and fourth-longest in the country. "We're bowl-eligible," the veteran coach said. "That's a big deal. … There have been 30 teams at Clemson start- ing 1-3, and I think we're only the fourth team to rally back and get to the postsea- son. It's not what we were shooting for coming into the season, but you've got to respond to where you are." The Tigers will be playing in New York for the first time since 1952. They tied Fordham that year, 12-12, in a game played at Triborough Stadium on Ran- dall's Island. They'll be playing Penn State for just the second time ever. In the only previ- ous meeting between PSU and Clemson, the Tigers rolled up 499 yards of offense, including 214 rushing yards by Rodney Williams, and dealt Penn State a 35-10 setback in the Citrus Bowl to conclude the 1987 season. Matt Knizner completed just 13 of 22 passes for 158 yards and threw 2 inter- ceptions, while Leroy Thompson rushed for 55 yards on 6 carries. Unable to get much going on offense, the Lions suf- fered the most lopsided bowl loss in pro- gram history, just one year after they had won the national championship. Smith was a true freshman on that team, although he didn't play until the following year. He's got a chance to write a different kind of ending in 2025, but it won't be easy. The Nittany Lions are all but certain to have a number of key opt- outs. Senior defensive tackle Zane Du- rant announced on Dec. 8 that he would be skipping the game, and he was soon joined by senior running back Nicholas Singleton and redshirt senior safety Za- kee Wheatley. Smith said the Nittany Lions will be bringing a "next man up" mentality into the game. Yankee Stadium will play host to the Pinstripe Bowl for the 15th time. The first game was played in 2010, with Syracuse defeating Kansas State, 36-34. BWI FILE PHOTO The Game At A Glance Penn State vs. Clemson Time: Noon Date: Dec. 27 Place: The Bronx, N.Y. Venue: Yankee Stadium (54,251 foot- ball capacity) TV: ABC (Dave Pasch, play-by-play; Dusty Dvoracek, analyst; Taylor Mc- Gregor, sideline) History: In its only previous appear- ance in the Pinstripe Bowl, Penn State defeated Boston College, 31-30, in overtime in 2014. Record vs. Clemson: The Tigers won the only previous meeting between the two teams, defeating Penn State, 35- 10, in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, 1988.