It started with a No. 2 ranking and whispers of a national title. It ended at Yankee Stadium in late December, with a different head coach on the sidelines and a record that looked nothing like what the experts predicted in August. If you’ve been tracking penn state football scores this past year, you know "erratic" doesn't even begin to cover it.
Honestly, it’s been one of the weirdest seasons in Happy Valley history. We saw three straight blowouts to open the year, a mid-season collapse that cost James Franklin his job, and a late-season surge under interim coach Terry Smith that somehow salvaged a winning record.
The Early Highs and the White Out Disaster
The season kicked off with pure dominance. August 30 saw a 46-11 thumping of Nevada, followed by a 34-0 shutout of FIU. When the Nittany Lions hung 52 on Villanova in Week 3, the hype was real. Drew Allar looked like the Heisman candidate everyone promised.
Then came September 27. The White Out.
Facing No. 6 Oregon under the lights at Beaver Stadium, the wheels didn't fall off—they just wobbled until they snapped in double overtime. That 30-24 loss to the Ducks was the first domino. It wasn't just a loss; it was a psychological break. You could see the rhythm of the offense vanish.
What followed was a brutal, one-point loss at UCLA (42-37) where the defense just couldn't get off the field. A week later, a 22-21 heartbreaker against Northwestern at home turned the "fire Franklin" whispers into a roar. By the time Penn State lost 25-24 to Iowa on October 18, the team had lost four games by a combined 13 points. Talk about a "game of inches" becoming a season of nightmares.
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The Mid-Season Firing and the Pivot to Terry Smith
The November 1 trip to Columbus was the final nail. Ohio State dismantled a demoralized Penn State 38-14. When the news broke that James Franklin was out after 12 seasons, it felt inevitable but still shocking. He left with 104 wins, but that 4-17 record against Ohio State and Michigan was a weight he just couldn't shake.
Terry Smith took over as interim, but the bleeding didn't stop immediately. A 27-24 loss to a surprising Indiana team on November 8 pushed the losing streak to six.
Six straight losses. For a team that started the season ranked second in the nation, it was unfathomable.
But then, something clicked. Maybe it was the lack of pressure or maybe the young guys like Ethan Grunkemeyer and Quinton Martin Jr. finally found their footing. The Nittany Lions went on the road to East Lansing and hammered Michigan State 28-10. They followed it up by crushing Nebraska 37-10 on Senior Day.
The Regular Season Finale: A Rutgers Thriller
The final regular-season game at Rutgers was probably the most "Penn State" game of the year. It was ugly. It was rainy. And it was a 40-36 shootout that saw the Nittany Lions claw back in the fourth quarter to secure bowl eligibility. Finishing 6-6 felt like a miracle after that October slump.
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Ending on a High: The Pinstripe Bowl
On December 27, Penn State headed to the Bronx to face Clemson in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. On paper, it was a matchup of two underachieving giants.
In reality, it was the "Quinton Martin Jr. Show." The freshman running back carved up the Tigers for 101 yards, while Grunkemeyer proved he’s likely the QB of the future, throwing for 262 yards and running in a score. The final 22-10 victory over Clemson gave Penn State a 7-6 finishing record.
2025 Game-by-Game Results
- Aug 30: Penn State 46, Nevada 11 (W)
- Sep 6: Penn State 34, FIU 0 (W)
- Sep 13: Penn State 52, Villanova 6 (W)
- Sep 27: Oregon 30, Penn State 24 (L - 2OT)
- Oct 4: UCLA 42, Penn State 37 (L)
- Oct 11: Northwestern 22, Penn State 21 (L)
- Oct 18: Iowa 25, Penn State 24 (L)
- Nov 1: Ohio State 38, Penn State 14 (L)
- Nov 8: Indiana 27, Penn State 24 (L)
- Nov 15: Penn State 28, Michigan State 10 (W)
- Nov 22: Penn State 37, Nebraska 10 (W)
- Nov 29: Penn State 40, Rutgers 36 (W)
- Dec 27: Penn State 22, Clemson 10 (W) — Pinstripe Bowl
What the Stats Actually Tell Us
If you look at the raw numbers, the penn state football scores are actually deceptive. The team averaged 31 points per game while only giving up 20.5. Usually, that’s a 10-win season.
The problem was efficiency in the red zone during October. They were settling for Ryan Barker field goals—he was incredible, by the way, hitting 18 of 19—when they needed touchdowns. You can't beat teams like Oregon or UCLA in high-scoring affairs by kicking three-pointers.
The defense, led by coordinator Jim Knowles in his first year, was statistically top-40, but they lacked the "clutch" gene in late-game situations during the six-game skid. They gave up way too many third-and-long conversions when the game was on the line.
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Looking Ahead to 2026
The search for a permanent head coach is the only thing people in State College are talking about right now. Names like Matt Campbell have been floated, especially since he was spotted in town back in December.
The roster is actually in decent shape. While some veterans are heading to the NFL, the core of the offense—specifically the backfield—is young and explosive. Grunkemeyer’s performance in the Pinstripe Bowl suggests the post-Allar era might be brighter than people think.
Basically, 2025 was a year of "what ifs." What if they had beaten Oregon in 2OT? What if they hadn't missed those tackles against UCLA? We’ll never know. But the four-game winning streak to end the year at least gives the fans something to hold onto over the winter.
To stay ahead of the curve for the 2026 season, keep a close eye on the transfer portal window opening this month. Penn State needs help at wide receiver and offensive tackle if they want to avoid another mid-season slump. Monitoring the official coaching search updates from the athletic department will give the best indication of whether the program is sticking with the current defensive identity or blowing it all up for a fresh start.