UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — When cornerback coach Terry Smith took over as interim head coach, he had one goal in mind for a Penn State team that was in one of the worst ruts in recent program history: “We’ve got to get our grittiness back, our toughness, our swag.”

And while it’s safe to say that the Nittany Lions played with grit and competed till the very end, the Terry Smith era got off to the start that few were surprised by after a 25-24 loss to Iowa that looked like the same as previous weeks.

After the loss to the Hawkeyes, Smith, in his opening statement, made it clear that a loss like this was a “disappointing” one that showcased the blatant holes on all sides of the ball.

“In our special teams, we continue to have problems handling punts and kicks, just making good decisions with

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