Penn State football (7-6) toppled Clemson (7-6) 22-10 Saturday afternoon in the 2025 Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium.

A 6-3 contest at the end of the third quarter saw 23 combined points in the final frame capitalized by Trebor Peña’s go-ahead 73-yard score. Dani Dennis-Sutton led the way defensively with two sacks in his final career game. Penn State ended its chaotic 2025 season with a bowl win over another preseason top-five opponent. The Terry Smith era is now over.

How It Happened

Gabe Nwosu’s kickoff sailed for a touchback as Clemson took the first possession. Adam Randall rushed for 1 yard on the opening play before Cade Klubnik zipped a 6-yard pass to T.J. Moore. On 3rd-and-3, Tyler Brown couldn’t reel in Klubnik’s screen pass. The Tigers tried a fake punt with a pass from Jack Smith, but the ball fell well out of reach. Penn State took over at Clemson’s 32-yard line.

Ethan Grunkemeyer tossed the ball to Devonte Ross for a quick 8-yard gain. Grunkemeyer tucked the ball up the middle for the first down. Redshirt freshman running back Corey Smith picked up 7 yards on his first carry of the day.

Quinton Martin Jr. got the carry on 1st-and-goal, but rushed for no gain. Clemson safety Ronan Hanafin perfectly snuffed out Smith’s carry to the outside on 3rd-and-goal, forcing Penn State to settle for three points.

Dani Dennis-Sutton brought down Randall before the sticks to force another Clemson punt.

Grunkemeyer took a big sack from Clemson’s Caden Story and Fletcher Cothran to open the Nittany Lions’ next drive. Andrew Rappleyea responded with a big contested catch down the sideline, but it was called back due to an illegal shift. Penn State couldn’t dig itself out of the 2nd-and-25 hole despite a 21-yard run from Martin on third down.

The Tigers picked up their first first down of the game before Dejuan Lane almost came up with the day’s first turnover on a Klubnik overthrow. He connected with Moore on a screen pass for 11 yards. Penn State forced three straight incompletions to hold Clemson once more.

Liam Clifford received an end-around carry and ran into Rappleyea’s back for a 2-yard gain. Martin dashed for 9 yards and a fresh set of downs to bring the opening frame to a close.

Grunkemeyer slung it outside to Rappleyea on 4th-and-4, but the tight end slipped before he could try and move the sticks.

Despite the field position gift, Clemson still failed to generate any offense. Dennis-Sutton emphatically sacked Klubnik for a 15-yard loss on 3rd-and-5 as Penn State found itself with the ball once more.

Grunkemeyer took a deep shot to Ross, but the pass fell out of reach. Trebor Peña gained 13 yards after a short catch. Grunkemeyer aired one out over the middle to Ross for what would’ve been a big gain on 2nd-and-15, but the wideout took his eyes off the ball and dropped it. No gain on a Rappleyea catch signaled another Nwosu punt.

The Tigers faced 3rd-and-3 from their own 39-yard line as Dabo Swinney called his first timeout of the half. Brown moved the chains with a 6-yard catch.

Klubnik stepped up in the pocket and slung a cross-body pass to a wide-open Moore for a 44-yard gain on 2nd-and-14 as Clemson entered the red zone for the first time. Daryus Dixson almost came away with a pick on the far pylon on first down. Klubnik couldn’t connect with Tristan Smith in the end zone. Nolan Hauser pushed his field goal attempt wide right as the Tigers came up empty again with just over six minutes remaining in the half.

Grunkemeyer rifled a 14-yard dot to Peña near the sideline to bring some offensive juice on the Nittany Lions’ next possession. He tried floating one to Rappleyea up the seam, but the Tigers almost picked it off. Nwosu punted for the third time.

Dixson opened Penn State’s next defensive series with a clear opportunity to intercept a Klubnik pass near the sideline, but he couldn’t reel it in. The Nittany Lions forced Clemson into a 3rd-and-10 following a batted ball before Klubnik struck Moore over the middle for the first down to Dennis-Sutton’s dismay.

Klubnik picked up 13 yards with his feet ahead of the two-minute warning. Clemson continued driving into Penn State territory until Jaylen Harvey sacked Klubnik for an 8-yard loss. Despite the setback, Clemson still broke its deadlock with a 48-yard field goal off Hauser’s boot with a minute remaining in the half.

Barker added three more for Penn State as time expired after an efficient two-minute drill from Grunkemeyer and the offense. The Nittany Lions led 6-3 at the half.

Despite a promising opening second-half drive highlighted by Luke Reynolds’ 21-yard catch and run, Ross committed the worst drop of the game on 4th-and-4 well within Clemson territory. Penn State turned it over on downs.

Audavion Collins gifted Clemson new life on its next drive with an avoidable pass interference penalty. The Tigers entered Penn State’s side of the field, but chewed it back with a pivotal false start call. Klubnik threw behind Brown down the sideline as Swinney elected to punt.

Tikey Hayes set up a masterful block on Grunkemeyer’s blindside on Penn State’s ensuing possession, allowing the signal caller to pick out Koby Howard for 13 yards. The Nittany Lions continued to pound the rock behind Martin and Smith as they ran out the third quarter.

Barker made a 44-yard field goal to open the final frame and hand Penn State a 9-3 lead.

Penn State forced a quick stop before Grunkemeyer and Peña combined for the 73-yard dagger early in the fourth quarter. Peña wrestled free at Penn State’s own 44-yard line and dashed 56 yards for the score.

Peña is too fast pic.twitter.com/rR0CSMpc26

— Onward State (@OnwardState) December 27, 2025

Nwosu kicked the ball out of bounds on the ensuing kickoff. A costly pass interference call on Dixson pushed Clemson to Penn State’s 15-yard line. Randall took the Tigers to the 1-yard line before punching it in for the score. The Nittany Lions retained a 15-10 lead with 8:47 to play.

Ross immediately picked up 11 yards to get the chains moving. Clemson forced Penn State into a 3rd-and-7, where Grunkemeyer hit Ross across the middle for 35 yards.

Martin made a nice cut to salvage 6 yards out of a broken second down. Hayes picked out a hole for a first down before Grunkemeyer found Rappleyea for the much-needed score. Barker’s extra point went through as Penn State jumped to a 22-10 lead.

BOOM pic.twitter.com/nhiXxcN7R6

— Onward State (@OnwardState) December 27, 2025

Penn State sacked Klubnik twice on the following series as the Nittany Lion faithful knew the game was close to wraps and the Terry Smith chants went into full effect.

Grunkemeyer kneeled it out as Penn State’s rollercoaster 2025 season came to a close.

Takeaways

• Despite all of the defensive turnover both on Penn State’s staff and roster, the Nittany Lions registered their best performance of the season against a Power Four opponent. Penn State held Clemson to 10 points and forced five punts. The Nittany Lions also totaled four sacks, six tackles-for-loss, eight pass breakups, and four quarterback hurries. Dani Dennis-Sutton led the way with two sacks in his final collegiate game.
• Penn State’s first game without Kaytron Allen or Nick Singleton in the backfield since 2021 was a strange but welcome sight. Quinton Martin Jr. led the way with 20 carries for 101 yards, while Tikey Hayes followed suit with three rushes for 18 yards. The Nittany Lions certainly missed Allen’s explosive play ability, but it was a valuable trial run to evaluate Penn State’s future at the position.
• While he’s out of eligibility, Trebor Peña’s connection with Ethan Grunkemeyer in the back half of this season will be remembered. He showed himself as a trustworthy target as Grunkemeyer got more comfortable commanding the offense to lead Penn State out of the trenches. Peña’s 73-yard go-ahead score in the fourth quarter will go down as the duo’s marquee moment.
• Penn State needs to retain Andrew Rappleyea and Daryus Dixson. Point blank period.

What’s Next?

The Matt Campbell era.