Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542734
1 4 F E B R 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 "I love this group. They're just a spe- cial group of guys. This is the great- est moment in my life. It's just a great moment for me and my family. I said I wasn't going to [cry in a postgame in- terview] again, but I'm just so happy for our guys. … "I love Penn State. I love football. The game and Penn State have done amaz- ing things for me and my family. I'm just thankful and grateful." — Interim head coach Terry Smith in a tearful on-field interview with ABC's Taylor McGregor follow- ing Penn State's 22-10 victory over Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl "Matt Campbell getting his trusted starter and team leader to join him in Happy Valley was never really in question once Becht officially entered the portal. They're going to face new challenges to- gether in their first year in the Big Ten, and Campbell and his staff have a ton of work to do to reload this roster with a por- tal haul that should feature a ton of Iowa State players. When he's healthy and at his best, Becht can certainly be one of the Big Ten's top passers." — College football analyst Max Olson on PSU's projected start- ing quarterback, redshirt senior Rocco Becht, who was ranked 17th in ESPN's Jan. 14 list of the top 50 prospects in the transfer portal "He's a really great guy who built Iowa State on culture, and I know he's ready to take on this big role at Penn State. He wants to build back this insane and deep culture that they have. I think he'll do an amazing job with that, because I don't expect him to be a two-year kind of guy and then he'll be gone. I think he'll be there for 10-15 years. He's a great coach." — Three-star linebacker Keian Kaiser, who flipped his verbal com- mitment from Iowa State to Penn State after Cyclones coach Matt Campbell was hired to lead the Nit- tany Lions' program "I think our guys are playing not to lose. And it never works in life. If you want to go get it, you've got to go after it. Today, we went after it. I told them, 'Put your guts on the table today. It's gut- check time. Screw it. Let's figure it out.' "You can say all the clichés until you're blue in the face, and sooner or later, as a team, you've just got to say, 'We're not doing this anymore.' And today was the day we said we're not doing this any- more." — Men's basketball coach Mike Rhoades following a 74-72 loss to Michigan in which the Nittany Li- ons nearly earned their first win of the Big Ten season against the na- tion's No. 2 team "The Penn State search itself cer- tainly would draw a lower mark, and the fact that the school took so long to reach Campbell is really confounding. After zooming out a bit, his overall work at Iowa State is truly impressive, and a move to a premier Big Ten job like Penn State makes a lot of sense. Campbell in- herits a difficult roster situation in State College. His move from a place where eight wins is celebrated to one with na- tional championship-or-bust standards likely will be jarring at first. He has won big games and could help Penn State take that elusive next step, but is he ready for the big stage?" — ESPN college football writer Adam Rittenberg, who gave Penn State a grade of A- for its decision to hire Campbell as head coach "I love playing for this program. I have fun when I'm out there, so there was really no question. I don't really understand not playing in the game. As far as my peers, I know people have different situations, whether it's injuries or whatever it may be, so I can't speak on why they did or didn't [play], but for me it was a no-brainer. I love Coach [Terry Smith]. He gives me everything, so I decided I'm going to give everything for this program." — Senior defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton on his decision to play in the Pinstripe Bowl PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS