How Penn State football will 'finish writing the script' vs Clemson

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The Pinstripe Bowl should serve as a Penn State football good-bye for one more assistant coach.

Deion Barnes, who’s in charge of the Nittany Lions‘ defensive line, will coach Saturday’s game against Clemson, according to interim head coach Terry Smith, before his expected departure for the same position at South Carolina. Barnes will join the Gamecocks’ staff with PSU running backs coach Stan Drayton, who also will coach the Pinstripe Bowl.

This game in frigid, snow-covered Yankee Stadium, will serve as a program turning point as new head coach Matt Campbell continues to build his new staff and roster.

“Finish writing the script for the ’25 season,” Smith said when asked about his pregame message to his players. “Six games ago we set a vision to write the chapter the way we want to write it, and we still have that opportunity, and we want to write this final script to it.”

The Lions will miss at least 15 players who have decided to opt-out of the game either to begin preparations for the NFL or to enter the NCAA transfer portal or because of injury. Clemson is expected to miss more than 25 players.

And a chunk of Lions’ 2025 staff will coach in their final Penn State game, including offensive line assistant Phil Trautwein and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. Barnes is the latest assistant to leave, news breaking of his departure coming Dec. 23.

He will lead a defensive line missing starters Zane Durant and Zuriah Fisher and with edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton in an expected limited role. Freshmen Yvan Kemajou and Jaylen Harvey should see extended playing time rushing the quarterback, according to interim head coach Terry Smith.

This season-ending affair expects to become a showcase for these kind of backups and young, up-and-coming players. The 6-6 Nittany Lions (winners of three-straight) and the 7-5 Tigers (winners of four straight) will try to end their disappointing seasons with feel-good positivity.

Harvey is one of those who expects to get his most game action yet in the Pinstripe.

“He can really create havoc off the edge,” Smith said on Friday. “The biggest thing of growth for him is just his attention to detail and being consistent. He’s had a good month of bowl prep. Hopefully it translates tomorrow, and he’ll be consistently good each play, no highs or lows but just consistent effort is the key.”

Penn State must now replace Barnes, the former PSU defensive end who was the Big Ten freshman of the year in 2012. He coached the Lions’ defensive line for three seasons and helped develop NFL draft picks Abdul Carter, Chop Robinson and Arnold Ebiketie.

Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at  fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: How Penn State football prepares for Clemson in Pinstripe Bowl

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