Terry Smith was thrown into an impossible situation on October 12. While he’s accepted his role as interim head coach and grown into its responsibilities, he didn’t ask for this to happen. He didn’t even think it was possible on August 30.

Yet, it’s the reality of the situation. Penn State is 3-6, and its most anticipated season in a long time has gone down the drain. For Smith, there’s nothing else on his mind besides the team’s togetherness and chasing that ever-elusive win. There’s no point in dwelling on Penn State’s tragic losses so far this season when there’s an opportunity to not only win a game, but the Land-Grant Trophy on Saturday. In fact, the team has to take those losses and morph them into guidance heading into Penn State’s last three games.

“We’re just trying to get back to some core values and just trying to get back to the confidence and swagger that we once had when we played Oregon,” Smith said after practice Wednesday.

One thing that Smith has emphasized since he took over control of the program is effort. Penn State was highly criticized in James Franklin’s final stretch due to the team’s sluggish, tired look. Penn State fans didn’t think the effort was shining through. In the last three weeks, the Nittany Lions left no doubt that they were doing everything in their power to sneak out a win against Iowa, Ohio State, and Indiana.

Smith and his players know losing sucks. But when the chaos of the season and the injuries and everything are put into perspective, those close losses show the fight that only Smith could reignite in the squad.

One thing Smith has done consistently through the last month is provide some popular sayings and metaphors for his players. From “chopping wood” to “sharpening the pencil“, Smith’s use of language has helped his leadership transition.

“Coach Terry always gonna have a good quote for you. Quote ready to have you ready to run through a brick wall,” safety King Mack said.

A lot of the effort issues Penn State fans saw early in the season had much to do with the defense. Penn State’s run defense was exposed massively in the loss to UCLA, and it didn’t really recover from that well until Ohio State. Iowa had a field day on the ground.

That led to Smith working with defensive coordinator Jim Knowles on a simplified defense ahead of the Indiana game, and the results were clear. Penn State’s defense emphasized pressure and prioritized blitz packages, bringing guys like Mack and Daryus Dixson down from the second level. The Nittany Lions pressured Fernando Mendoza 29 times and Mack had an interception in the fourth quarter.

“Coach Knowles, his biggest thing is for us to play fast, and he sees what we respond to. He knows us as players,” Mack said. “So what he did was put us in the best position, and that’s what he did. And we were able to have a good game.”

Smith said that while he worked with Knowles to make the defense easier to digest, Knowles still has complete control of the unit. Smith doesn’t meddle in playcalling, but listens in during the games and asks questions when he’s confused. Their work together had led to more confidence from the players as a whole.

“Now it’s to the point where whatever down it is, whatever the down, the distance, is, we kind of have a clue what he’s gonna call,” Mack said.

It’s important to remember that Knowles himself has been through a plethora of scrutiny in 2025. He was taunted on the video board in Ohio Stadium and dealt with a lot of unpleasantries from the Buckeye fans, to say the least. It hasn’t been an easy year for anyone, but the fact that Knowles and the defense are figuring things out provides a silver lining.

“It’s actually 1,000% way better. It’s more fluent. Everybody’s on the same page now,” Mack said. “We’re able to execute as a unit, we’re able to be physical, play with grit, toughness. And it’s fun. Honestly, it’s fun.”

Breaking down Penn State’s defensive issues into three counterparts paints the picture of the whole season. The defensive line has been stomped on multiple times this season. The linebacker room losing Tony Rojas proved to be more devastating week by week, completely depleting it of depth. The secondary, arguably Penn State’s strongest group on that side of the ball, was deep fried by Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith, and Carnell Tate in week 10.

Smith’s main focus was to make the group more cohesive. In order to be successful, the entire unit has to back each other up, not feed off of one another’s issues. If everyone focuses on their own task at hand, that play will trickle down and create a formidable group of 11.

“Everyone doesn’t have to do too much. You don’t have to be an extraordinary player to be a part of Jim Knowles’ defense. As long as you can do your job to the best of your ability, the play is going to come to you,” Mack said. “And that’s what’s so great about the defense. One person do their job, it’s an opportunity for everybody on the field.”

Even though it took a while to seemingly get the defense on the same page and really make momentum, that’s what Knowles does. It took Knowles well over a year to fully install his defenses at Oklahoma State and Ohio State. Pat Kraft and Franklin hired Knowles knowing the defense would be a work in progress, but the results would be worth it. That plan is obviously up in the air with Franklin gone, but Knowles can make a serious business pitch to whoever Penn State’s next coach is if he keeps up what he showed against Indiana in the Nittany Lions’ three final games.