Niyo: Spartans' freefall holds sense of finality for Smith's tenure

East Lansing — As the clock ticked down on the fourth quarter Saturday at Spartan Stadium, it felt symbolic, in many ways.

But particularly if you were watching a stoic Jonathan Smith walking slowly toward midfield for a postgame handshake that was a bit delayed by circumstances beyond his control.

Over on the visitors’ sideline, Terry Smith, Penn State’s interim head coach, was still shaking off the remnants of a celebratory Gatorade shower and trying in vain to get some of his players to let him down off their shoulders after notching his first Big Ten win.