Momentum has been building in Happy Valley for Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft to hire interim head coach Terry Smith to be James Franklin’s permanent replacement. Well, that momentum has carried over to Piscataway, New Jersey, on Saturday, where the Nittany Lions are set to close out the regular season against Rutgers.
Smith began his interim tenure with three straight losses, two with blown fourth-quarter leads. However, players and now the fanbase have bought into Smith after back-to-back wins over Michigan State and Nebraska. Somebody is such a fan of Smith’s that they paid to have a plane fly around Piscataway today with a banner that says “Pat Kraft - Hire Terry Smith.