Terry Smith is in a position that he, to put it bluntly, didn’t sign up for. After James Franklin was relieved of his duties following the Northwestern game, Smith was immediately appointed to take the reins of the program.

Before filling the head coaching shoes, Smith had the duties of being the team’s cornerbacks coach, a title that he held for 12 years.

Getting accustomed to overseeing all aspects of play is difficult for a coach who has spent the majority of his career focused on the defense. While he played wide receiver for the Nittany Lions for four seasons, there has been a learning curve that comes with taking over an unfamiliar leadership role. 

On gamedays, Smith is still figuring out the nooks and crannies of managing the team. Andy Kotelnicki and Jim Knowles are fully responsible for offensive and defensive play calling. 

“When the offensive is up, I hear them. When the defense is up, I hear them,” Smith said. “I sit quiet. I hear everything. If I don’t know what something is, I ask a question.” 

In between drives, Smith often interacts with his coordinators in order to better understand the logic behind some of their decisions. While not responsible for playcalling, Smith finds it important to understand why the coaching staff executes certain plays at various points in the game.

“I may ask questions in the sense of ‘Why do we do this?’ ‘Why do we do that?’ ‘Why didn’t we make this call?’ ‘Why didn’t we make that call?’ But you can’t interrupt the playcaller in the middle of his flow and rhythm,” Smith said.

One aspect that Smith has tried to improve on since stepping into the interim head coaching role has been the passing game and the implementation of downfield throws. 

In Penn State’s loss to Indiana this past weekend, he made it a point of emphasis to incorporate this style of play into the offensive scheme, and did so with relative success. Ethan Grunkemeyer took some vertical shots, notably connecting with Trebor Peña for a 43-yard gain in the second quarter.

When asked why it took so long for the offense to produce in such a manner, Smith mentioned how his lack of experience analyzing production on that side of the ball played a big role.

“I didn’t know I was going to be head coach,” he said. “I didn’t really know our offerings. I didn’t know what to look for. As a defensive guy, I minded my own business. Now that I’m responsible, I can see things from a different lens.”

This area has been a large concern of Smith’s, as he identifies the lack of downfield passing as an issue that he wishes he could have identified sooner. 

“That’s my responsibility. So I own that,” he said.

But when it comes to being a motivator, Smith is an expert in the field. 

When a team loses its coach, it can be difficult for the players to rally around the new man in charge. In Penn State’s case, losing six straight games can be a mental burden, especially given the high preseason expectations. 

But Smith has been able to uphold the culture of family and brotherhood that this program was built on. The team has come so close to securing a victory under his short tenure, but has fallen in heartbreaking fashion on many occasions. Despite this, Smith makes sure his team comes ready to play each week, using analogies and inspirational talks to instill motivation. 

To help the team visualize its progress, Smith discussed the analogy of a pencil sharpener with his squad.

“The pencil sharpener is the storm that we’re in that I’ve been talking about for weeks,” he said. “When you put the pencil in, and you start to turn it, we’re giving of ourselves as we start to take away some of the wood chips of the pencil. When you pull the pencil out too soon, it’s not ready to write. That was us on Saturday.” 

Smith expects and demands that his team play with such preparedness and hunger as he describes for this weekend’s matchup with Michigan State. He requires success of himself and of his players, and recognizes the importance and pride that come with retaining the Land-Grant Trophy.

“This week, we’re going to show a finished product of the pencil. Sharp and ready to write,” he said. 

Not only did Smith speak of the pencil, he also turned it into a literal representation of something he hopes his team will act upon. After he delivered the analogy to his players, he handed out physical No. 2 pencils to serve as a reminder of the work they’ve put in.

“He gave each and every one of us a pencil. We all have a pencil that we carry around and keep on us to remember that our pencil was sharpened, and now it’s time to write the story. That’s what we’re going to do,” said safety King Mack.

These unique sayings translate into teachings for his guys. Each one of them internalizes it in a different way and uses Smith’s words as fuel, both in football and in life.

“Terry always has a good quote for you to have you ready to run through a brick wall,” Mack said.

Zion Tracy has spent a lot of time with Smith, even before he assumed the role of head coach. Being a cornerback, Tracy worked closely with Smith and developed a close relationship with him.

“[Smith] definitely makes life lessons out of our situations,” Tracy said.

The biggest lesson he has learned from his coach is about never making the same mistake twice. Learning from a miscue is an important step to growing as a player and a person. Tracy believes the expectation of showing resilience and fight runs strong in the locker room, irrespective of the circumstances.

“The standard is already set in the room,” Tracy said. “We know what we have to do is pick up from it and just stay consistent.”

No matter the outcome of a game or trajectory of a season, Smith will make sure that the team’s lack of effort is never the issue. His lessons, whether they be through metaphor or otherwise, stick with the players and allow them to be the best versions of themselves.

As Penn State heads to East Lansing this weekend, Smith will aim to lock down his first win as the interim head coach. He has the utmost confidence that his guys will be able to get it done.

“We’re going to come out full blazing,” he said.