Penn State Seeks to Send a Message Vs. No. 1 Ohio State

Penn State has lost four games by a combined total of 13 points, underscoring its inability to close out games this season. The pressure has been on the Nittany Lions to rally in the fourth quarter, and Smith’s analogy runs deeper than the coaching cliche of chopping wood. 

Before Penn State played Iowa, players and coaches wore shirts with “IF” written on the front. It represents the “infinite possibilities” that the team has “to make come true” and believe can happen. While the work on the field remains important, Smith has really focused on mentality. 

If Penn State wants to shock the world and chop down the No. 1 team in the country, it must believe it can before the game starts. 

“Those are some pretty big trees, so it’s going to take a couple chops,” tight end Luke Reynolds said, echoing his coach. “One chop at a time means one play at a time, 100 percent effort, because slowly as a group, with all the chops that we’re chopping down, it’ll eventually fall down.”

Smith promised that Penn State would play hard and put a better product on the field. This week, Smith said, the practice data has suggested buy-in from the players.

Penn State’s sports science department evaluates the players’ effort, and the Nittany Lions this week conducted their second-best Tuesday practice of the season, Smith said, referencing that data.

“It’s more of the output of fast-twitch muscles. So speed numbers are up, effort numbers are up, numbers where we’re running faster, longer distances are up as opposed to your normal week,” Smith said, clarifying how production is quantified. “Part of that is, we’re playing Ohio State. The other part is, we’re coming off a bye week where we’re a little more rested. The guys are eager to get after, and they’re taking advantage of these reps.”

Added Reynolds, “We’re all pretty motivated just because of the way this season’s been going. That’s just given us like an extra edge on our shoulder, a little chip on our shoulder.”

Going toe-to-toe with Ohio State

Penn State has not been a 20-point underdog in a game since facing Ohio State in 2019, and the team isn’t taking that lightly.  

“Obviously playing a great opponent this week, so it’s what you play football for to be honest, just going toe-to-toe with the best and seeing if you rise or fall,” Reynolds said. 

Smith has always been known as the team’s “truth-teller” and hasn’t lost that quality as the interim head coach. Players have appreciated his straightforwardness, and Smith isn’t afraid to call someone out in front of the entire team. 

“He doesn’t sugarcoat anything, honestly,” defensive end Alonzo Ford Jr. said. “... I mean, shoot, I lost a pass-rush rep one time, and he put it up on film and he showed me and was like, ‘Oh you shouldn’t be losing this rep.’ He talked through it, got my thought process behind the rep and why I did what I did and corrected it.”

Because of how forthright Smith is with his feedback, it’s hard to consider his messaging anything but genuine. It can be easy to detect when something is said for the sake of saying what someone wants to hear, but Smith continuously speaks with passion and energy behind his words. 

His players seem to follow his lead. 

“His strengths are being able to top in with the players a little bit more,” Ford said about how Smith is relatable because of his history with Penn State. Smith was a three-year starting receiver for the Nittany Lions in the late 1980s. 

“You’ve got a guy that is really a part of the brotherhood, really telling you, ‘Yeah, I did this before, you’ve seen me do this before. Go ahead and do this, you can do this.’ He puts the confidence in yout. He’s a player’s coach for sure.”

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