"New Year’s Day at noon, it doesn’t get any better than that. The opportunity is there to show the nation that Penn State is going to finish the season the right way."
Experiencing its first opt-out and a change in the defensive staff, the Nittany Lions' bowl preparation is happening during an important transitory period.
"One of the first things I told Coach Pry when he left was that the standard's not changing. I'm still gonna expect greatness from the young guys -- still gonna teach them, coach them."
Smith totaled 131 tackles over the course of his three-year career for the Nittany Lions.
"I think that I definitely want to right the ship and to do it the way that I want."
"We had to do better in the city limits. We made a conscious effort to own our mistakes."