Penn State will play Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl
They'll meet on Dec. 27 at Yankee Stadium. Clemson (7-5, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) started the season 1-3 before winning six of its final eight games to earn bowl eligibility.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State will face Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl at noon on Dec. 27 at Yankee Stadium, bowl officials announced Sunday on X. It marks Penn State’s fifth straight bowl appearance and 57th all-time, which ranks ninth among Football Bowl Subdivision teams.
The Nittany Lions’ lone appearance in the Pinstripe Bowl came in 2014 when they defeated Boston College, 31-30, in their first season under former head coach James Franklin. Now in the program’s first bowl game without Franklin since then, it returns to the Bronx for another December matchup.
The Nittany Lions’ tumultuous regular season included a head coaching change and a six-game losing streak, but Penn State (6-6, 3-6 Big Ten) ended the campaign on a three-game winning streak to secure bowl eligibility.
Many thought Clemson and Penn State, who both ranked inside the top five of the Associated Press preseason poll, were surefire College Football Playoff teams who could meet in the national championship. But after challenging seasons, the squads will meet under different circumstances.
Clemson (7-5, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) started the season 1-3 before winning six of its final eight games to earn bowl eligibility. In the lone meeting between Penn State and Clemson, the Tigers won, 35-10, in the 1988 Fiesta Citrus Bowl.
Penn State’s national coaching search lasted 54 days after whiffs on several candidates, but it ended Friday with the hiring of Iowa State’s Matt Campbell.
It is unclear whether some Nittany Lions stars will participate in the bowl game. After a 40-36 victory over Rutgers on Nov. 29, Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen, and Nick Dawkins were among several Lions players who remained noncommittal on their bowl-game status. Dominic DeLuca said he “would do anything” to play another game with his teammates.
One announcement that could shift some players’ decisions toward DeLuca’s mindset is the return of interim head coach Terry Smith, who will likely serve as the Nittany Lions’ head coach for the Pinstripe Bowl if the Lions participate.
» READ MORE: Five things to know about Matt Campbell, Penn State’s next head coach
Smith, who guided Penn State to a 3-3 record after he was promoted following Franklin’s firing, signed a four-year contract extension to remain with the program, according to ESPN. He will serve as associate head coach, among other responsibilities, according to 247 Sports.
Several Penn State players held up “Hire Terry Smith” signs as they lobbied for Smith to return as head coach before the university announced the hiring of Campbell. Tony Rojas, the team’s star linebacker who suffered a season-ending injury in October, said on X that the team “stands with Terry Smith or nobody else.”
As of Sunday, no Penn State players had entered the transfer portal, a situation that could change in the coming weeks as they explore their options.