Penn State Football defeated Clemson in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl 22-10 on Dec. 27, 2025, closing the season with a win to finish with a 7-6 record.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer led the offense with 260 passing yards and two touchdowns. Running back Quinton Martin Jr. rushed for 103 yards, whilewide receiver Trebor Pena had 100 yards receiving along with a 73-yard breakaway touchdown, which earned Pena the game’s MVP award.
Freshman Shelby Bowersox believed Penn State performed well in its final game of the 2025 season.
“They played well, especially for not having some of their top players there because they didn’t want to get injured,” she said.
Some key players, such as Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, were absent from the game as they prepare for the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. However, on the defensive side, defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, also a top-ranked prospect in the upcoming draft, chose to play and finished the contest with two sacks and four tackles. Safety Vaboue Toure contributed seven tackles and a sack to the dominant defensive performance by the Nittany Lions.
English teacher Jennifer Evans appreciated the teamwork displayed throughout the bowl trip and game.
“I really like that our athletes had the opportunity to come together as a team and do the fun things that New York City offers. And then through the game, they supported each other for a victory over Clemson,” she said.
Penn State experienced a season of ups and downs. After being ranked second in the country in the preseason AP Poll, the Nittany Lions opened the season with wins over Nevada, FIU, and Villanova. They later suffered an overtime loss to Oregon during the White Out game at Beaver Stadium, followed by losses to UCLA and Northwestern. Quarterback Drew Allar was injured against Northwestern and missed the remainder of the season.
“They are very different athletes, and I think that Drew Aller’s experience and Grunkemeyer’s experience definitely play major factors. They both have a different style of play. They both were working with a different style of offense,” Evans said.
Following the loss to Northwestern, Head Coach James Franklin was fired and replaced by Interim Head Coach Terry Smith. Smith began his tenure with losses to Iowa, Ohio State, and Indiana before leading the team to wins over Michigan State, Rutgers, and Nebraska. Those victories made Penn State bowl eligible at 6-6.
Penn State will look forward to the 2026 season under new head coach Matt Campbell, formerly of Iowa State. Bowersox is optimistic about the program’s future.
“I’m excited to see, like, how the new head coach [Matt Campbell] will do, and how it’s all going to play out,” she said.
“Until you gel as a coaching unit, until you understand the competition, the travel, your opponents, which is a new league for them. It will be a period of adjustment, and I hope that we, as fans, are supportive of that adjustment and understand that success may look different than just big wins every Saturday,” Evans said.
Penn State will open the 2026 season on Sept. 5 against Marshall University at Beaver Stadium.
