FILE- Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer (17) gains yardage against Nevada during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game , Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger, File)

This is the most tumultuous week of Penn State football since Joe Paterno was abruptly fired in 2011.

Tom Bradley was named the interim coach at that time, and in their first game after the controversial dismissal, in an emotion-filled Beaver Stadium, the Nittany Lions played tough against Nebraska but were mentally drained and lost 17-14.

Since James Franklin’s firing, which took place Sunday, Terry Smith was handed the interim torch – and the first game is away from home, at Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium, a place that’s always been challenging, not to mention being at night (7 p.m. on Peacock).

Smith reached out to Bradley, who recruited him out of high school and remained a close friend, for some guidance and the message was: “Take care of the guys in the locker room. You have to pick their spirits up.”

That’s been Smith’s focus. He admits the sudden change has left the Lions “hurt, torn and fragile,” and when asked his approach this week, he didn’t hesitate.

“Everything starts up front,” Smith said. “So the two things that we have to fix this week are the offensive line, (and) defensive line. We have to control the line of scrimmage. You control the line of scrimmage; you control the game.”

Penn State has lost three straight in part because it has not been physical enough.

The Nits are currently 15th in the Big Ten in rushing defense and 80th nationally (out of 135 teams).

“We have to be tougher up front,” Smith said. “That sets the tone for what everyone else does.”

With Drew Allar out and Ethan Grunkemeyer making his first career start, Smith said the coaching staff needs adjust to the QB’s inexperience.

“We need to give him some easy reads and keep feeding the running backs,” he said. “Then we can have some play-action off that.”

Knowing the team still feels for Franklin, since he recruited the entire squad, Smith hopes the Lions respond “for our love of the game.”

Since the double-overtime loss to Oregon, PSU has not shown resolve.

To that end, tonight is a test of character and leadership, more so on the field than the sidelines.

“These kids are going to play hard,” Smith said. “One thing I won’t accept is a lack of effort. We hope we’re going to win, but we’re going to play hard.”

NITPICKING

• Franklin will make his first public comments about the firing today as he appears as a live guest on ESPN Gameday, which airs between 9 a.m. and noon. Gameday is live from Athens, where Georgia meets Mississippi.

• Reports have surfaced that Franklin’s relationship with Pat Kraft began fracturing over the summer when Franklin asked for another extension (beyond the deal he’s got through 2031, and Kraft balked).

• It will be curious how many, if any, personnel changes Smith makes, especially with an open date following tonight’s game.

• Iowa native Jaxon Smolik is now thrust into the backup quarterback role. Since Allar wouldn’t have been back next year regardless, these next six regular-season games will be an audition for next year’s starting QB job (along with other positions). To this point, Penn State has not gone into the transfer portal for a quarterback.

• Keep an eye on cornerback AJ Harris, who did not play vs. Northwestern after allowing a second-quarter touchdown. Smith, the cornerbacks coach, said: “Yeah, AJ, unfortunately for him, was put in a position and got beat on the touchdown, and we made a decision at that time to just play some other guys (Audavion Collins and Elliot Washington). Those guys have rotated all year, and we just felt like we had a better chance to have success with those guys.”

• Back to the search: PSU grad, State College native and Nebraska coach Matt Rhule seemed to distance himself from the PSU speculation on the Pat McAfee show Thursday. Rhule said he considers the Cornhuskers job “one of the greatest places in the world. At the same time, when it’s your alma mater, you have to show it love and respect. But I refuse to be distracted. Pat Kraft will find the right coach for them, whoever that is. But this is a destination job that should be a national beast, and I think we’re on our way to doing that.”

Neil Rudel covers Penn State football and can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.