5 takeaways from Penn State's Pinstripe Bowl win

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Penn State ended its season on a winning note with a 22-10 win over Clemson in the 2025 Pinstripe Bowl. A far cry from where expectations had Penn State (and Clemson) playing in the beginning of the season, but it is still far better than ended the year with a loss and a losing record. So at this point, we take what we can get and celebrate the joy that is earned.

Here are five postgame reactions I had from the Pinstripe Bowl victory.

Dani Dennis-Sutton left his stamp on the program

He did not have to play in the Pinstripe Bowl, as a number of his teammates opted, but Dani Dennis-Sutton made sure he left the Penn State program on a winning note with his play being a major factor. The future NFL draft pick made a commitment to interim head coach Terry Smith at the end of the regular season to play in the game, and he said afterward there was never a question in his mind about playing. Dennis-Sutton ended his day with 2 sacks clutch sacks of Klubnik and was a force on the line all game long.

Ethan Grunkemeyer outplays Cade Klubnik

Neither quarterback had a great start to the Pinstripe Bowl, but Penn State's Ethan Grunkemeyer got better as the game progressed and ended the day with a far better day in the final box score than the preseason Heisman Trophy contender. Grunkemeyer passed for 262 yards with 2 touchdowns while completing 22 of 34 pass attempts. Klubnik passed for 193 yards on 22-of-39 passing and was sacked twice as many times (4) as Grunkemeyer was (2).

Quinton Martin proves to be the next man up running the ball

Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen each opted out of the Pinstripe Bowl, so Penn State needed someone to step up with the football on the ground. Despite being behind a makeshift offensive line missing multiple starters, Quinton Martin showed he was ready for the moment. Martin led all players with 105 rushing yards on 20 carries. The biggest gain of the day was a 21-yard run and Martin helped provide some stability in the running game as best he could.

Penn State dominated Clemson in nearly every statistical category

It was a pretty dominant day for Penn State, according to the final stat sheet. Penn State outgained Clemson 397-236, out-passed the Tigers 262-193, and dominated the rushing yardage comparison 135-43. Time of possession was won by six minutes, and Penn State went 2-for-2 in the red zone while Clemson converted just one of its two red zone trips into points. Penn State's special teams also had a superior day compared to Clemson, who botched a fake punt play at the start of the game and missed a short field goal while Ryan Barker nailed all three of his field goal attempts and punter Gabe Nwosu averaged 45 yards per punt to Clemson's 35.4 ypp.

Terry Smith deserved this moment

How could you not feel good for interim head coach Terry Smith? Smith was thrown into a difficult spot at perhaps the most challenging time of the year, according to the schedule, and managed to keep this team together enough to fight for an opportunity to end the year with a postseason win. Smith gained an appreciation for the responsibility of being a head coach beginning in the middle of a challenging season and without much prep time due to an in-season coaching change, and he now hands the keys to the program fully over to new head coach Matt Campbell. Smith will remain on the staff working with Campbell, and Penn State should be better because of it.

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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: 5 takeaways from Penn State's Pinstripe Bowl win over Clemson

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