Grading Penn State's Pinstripe Bowl performance vs. Clemson

Penn State wrapped up a challenging 2025 season with a winning record thanks to a victory in the Pinstripe Bowl over Clemson on Saturday afternoon. This season came nowhere close to meeting the expectactions placed on it all offseason following a run to the College Football Playoff semifinal a season ago, but interim head coach Terry Smith made sure this team's story ended on a winning note.

Here are the grades from the Pinstripe Bowl.

Quarterback: B+

Like much of the offense, it took a little time before Ethan Grunkemeyer started hitting his stride. A masterful two-minute drill at the end of the first half let Penn State take a lead into halftime and Grunkemeyer completed some big passes that allowed his star receivers to do some damage after the run in the fourth quarter. There were a few moments Grunkemeyer would likely prefer to have back, but he toughed it out for an overall efficient outing to help Penn State come away victorious.

Running Backs: B+

Despite not having its top two running backs, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, the running game proved to still be valuable for Penn State's game plan. Quinton Martin ended the day with 101 rushing yards to lead the way, although Clemson did a decent job overall of not allowing the ground attack to do too much serious damage. There were some moments with short gains and stops behind the line of scrimmage, but the running game had some key moments as well to help get the win.

Receivers and Tight Ends: A

The leading receivers proved their worth in this one. Trebor Pena walked away with game MVP honors after recording his first 100-yard game in a Penn State uniform. His 71-yard touchdown was the icebreaker in the fourth quarter after the teams were limited to just three combined field goals prior. Devonte Ross also had some big moments, including a key 35-yard gain on a third down in the fourth quarter. Koby Howard also got in the fun with 2 catches for 34 yards. Tight end Andrew Rappleyea caught a touchdown for the final nail in the coffin for Clemson, and Luke Reynolds had a couple of catches as well.

Defense: A+

Penn State's defense was stellar despite missing some key starters and facing some depth concerns. But defensive captain Dani Dennis-Sutton left his mark with two big sacks of Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik. Penn State held Clemson to fewer than 270 yards of offense and did not allow a touchdown until the fourth quarter.

Special Teams: A

Penn State certainly had a better day with special teams than Clemson. While Clemson failed on a fake punt just four plays into the game, Ryan Barker was three-for-three on his field goal attempts, including a pair of field goals of over 40 yards in challenging conditions, and punter Gabe Nwosu averaged 45 yards on his three punt attempts, with one falling inside the 20-yard line.

Coaching: A

Enough cannot be said about the job Terry Smith did with this one. Going head-to-head against Dabo Swinney and managing the roster as well as he could leading up to the game with a short hand, Smith rallied his players to give their all in what many consider a meaningless bowl game. But that was not the case as displayed by Penn State. Penn State took some chances and didn't always capitalize on them, but the play of the defense and the way the offense put things together in the later stages were a testament to the job Smith did in maintaining the focus.

Overall: A

Any time you win a bowl game despite all of the obstacles to deal wiht, your team deserves an A rating overall. Penn State's performance in the Pinstripe Bowl may not have been as pretty and memorable as previous bowl victories, but there were many times this season when this team could have just packed it in and focused on 2026. Instead, Penn State ended the 2025 season wiht a fourth striaght victory overall and a win over Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl as it begins to enter a new era in Happy Valley.

Penn State now fully turns the page to focus on the 2026 season. Terry Smith will now take on a key role on the staff under new head coach Matt Campbell, who will be tasked with getting Penn State back into the College Football Playoff hunt. Turning things around to make that happen in 2026 is entirely possible, but there is a lot of work to be done crafting the final pieces of the coaching staff and roster.

Penn State's 2026 season is scheduled to kick off with a home game against Marshall on Saturday, September 5. Penn State will also visit Philadelphia for a road game at Temple and will host Buffalo in non-conference play the following two weeks before jumping into Big Ten play. The Big Ten has yet to unveil its 2026 conference schedule, but Penn State will host Minnesota, Purdue, Rutgers, USC, and Wisconsin, and will travel to Maryland, Michigan, Northwestern, and Washington.

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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Penn State's Pinstripe Bowl postgame report card