Penn State football took down Clemson 22-10 on Saturday, Dec. 27 in the Pinstripe Bowl, ending its disappointing season on a high note after firing former coach James Franklin earlier in the season.
Penn State (7-6) scored both of its touchdowns in the fourth quarter, securing its fourth consecutive win under interim coach Terry Smith to end the season. Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer threw for 262 yards with two touchdowns in the win, and held Clemson to 236 total yards.
Penn State and Clemson both started the year ranked in the top 10 of the US LBM Coaches Poll but struggled throughout the regular season to narrowly reach bowl eligibility. For the Nittany Lions, at least, they ended the season with a win.
Clemson and coach Dabo Swinney will need to do a bit of soul searching this offseason, especially as they lose 3-year starter Cade Klubnik at quarterback, among numerous others to the NFL draft.
Here are the highlights from Penn State’s win over Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Penn State vs Clemson score
Penn State vs Clemson highlights
This section will be updated.
Penn State wins 22-10
Penn State beats Clemson 22-10, taking home the Pinstripe Bowl Trophy. The Nittany Lions end the season with four consecutive wins under interim coach Terry Smith and now shift their focus to the first offseason with new head coach Matt Campbell.
Penn State forces turnover on downs
Cade Klubnik is sacked for a 10-yard loss on fourth-and-11 by Vaboue Toure, giving Penn State back the ball with 2:29 left in the game. That’s going to do it for the Nittany Lions, barring a miracle.
Penn State scores again
Ethan Grunkemeyer throws his second touchdown of the game after finding Andrew Rappleyea for the 11-yard score. Penn State extends its lead to 22-10 with 4:56 remaining.
Grunkemeyer is 23-of-34 passing for 262 yards with two touchdowns now, and is making his case to be Penn State’s full-time starter next season under first-year head coach Matt Campbell.
Clemson responds
Clemson isn’t going away yet, as the Tigers travel 50 yards in seven plays ending in a 2-yard touchdown run by Adam Randall.
Penn State still leads 15-10 with 8:47 left in the fourth quarter. Both offenses are starting to wake up.
Penn State scores first touchdown
Ethan Grunkemeyer completes a short pass to Trebor Pena, who does the rest, running 73 yards to score the first touchdown of the game. Penn State extends its lead to 15-3 with 12:51 left in the fourth quarter, putting Clemson in a hole.
Penn State’s 2-point conversion attempt fails.
Penn State extends lead
Penn State makes another field goal, taking a 9-3 lead early in the fourth quarter on a 43-yard kick by Ryan Barker.
Clemson is running out of time for its offense to get going.
Clemson punts again
Clemson’s drive ends after gaining 28 yards in eight plays, taking 4:32 off the game clock. Both teams still have under 180 total yards of offense with 5:05 left in the third quarter.
Penn State opens second half with punt
Penn State is stopped on fourth down after Devonte Ross drops a pass from Ethan Grunkemeyer, ending its 12-play, 47-yard drive in Clemson territory. Penn State still leads 6-3 in the low-scoring game.
Penn State leads 6-3 at halftime
Ryan Barker drills a 48-yard field goal as time expires to give Penn State a 6-3 lead going into halftime. Nittany Lions quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer leads his unit to points before the second quarter ends.
Clemson ties it
Nolan Hauser makes his field goal attempt this time, converting from 48 yards to tie the game at 3-3 with 56 seconds left before halftime.
Clemson misses field goal
Clemson fails to tie the game at 3-3 after Nolan Hauser misses the 33-yard field goal attempt. Penn State still leads 3-0 with 6:08 remaining in the first half.
Clemson with explosive play
Cade Klubnik buys time in the pocket and fires a pass to T.J. Moore, who runs 44 yards to Penn State’s 15-yard line. It’s by far the most explosive play of the game by either team and puts Clemson in scoring position.
The pass was Klubnik’s 902nd completion of his career, breaking the school record previously held by Tajh Boyd.
Penn State punts
Both offenses continue to struggle. Penn State’s punt is the fifth combined between both teams so far.
Penn State leads 3-0 after first quarter
Both teams are struggling offensively so far, but Penn State leads 3-0 after taking advantage of its strong field position on its opening possession.
Penn State has 49 total yards compared to Clemson’s 39.
Clemson goes three-and-out
Nice start for Penn State defensively, as it holds Clemson to a three-and-out after forcing a turnover on downs on the first possession of the game.
The Nittany Lions take over on their own 31-yard line with 6:34 left in the first quarter.
Penn State takes 3-0 lead
Penn State gets stuffed on the goal line, opting for a 22-yard field goal to take an early 3-0 lead. The Nittany Lions’ drive started at Clemson’s 32-yard line after the Tigers’ fake punt on fourth-and-3 was stopped.
The fake punt wasn’t particularly close, either.
Clemson starts with possession
Clemson and quarterback Cade Klubnik start with possession. Klubnik is making his 40th and final collegiate start today.
Clemson opt outs for Pinstripe Bowl
Here’s the full list of Clemson opt outs for the Pinstripe Bowl against Penn State, courtesy of the Greenville News:
CB Avieon Terrell (NFL draft)
DT Peter Woods (NFL draft)
DT DeMonte Capehart (NFL draft)
DE T.J. Parker (NFL draft)
TE Ian Schieffelin (opt out)
WR Antonio Williams (injury)
WR Bryant Wesco Jr. (injury)
WR Cole Turner (injury)
TE Olsen Patt-Henry (injury)
RB Jay Haynes (injury)
RB Jarvis Green (injury)
RB Peyton Streko (injury)
OL Brayden Jacobs (injury)
OL Elyjah Thurmon (injury)
OL Walker Parks (injury)
OL Collin Sadler (injury)
OL Easton Ware (injury)
DL Jahiem Lawson (injury)
DL Armon Mason (injury)
DT Amare Adams (injury)
DT Makhi Williams-Lee (injury)
LB Wade Woodaz (injury)
LB Logan Anderson (injury)
S Khalil Barnes (transfer)
CB Shelton Lewis (transfer)
LB Jamal Anderson (transfer)
RB Keith Adams Jr. (transfer)
LB Dee Crayton (transfer)
Penn State availability report
Star running back Kaytron Allen is questionable for the game and is the lone Nittany Lion not listed as out on the availability report.
Penn State vs Clemson weather update
Penn State vs. Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl will be a chilly one, with the high temperature in the area at 33 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Wind chill will be between 20 and 25 degrees.
The snow on the field at Yankee Stadium was removed prior to the game, although there was recently snowfall in the area.
What channel is Penn State vs Clemson on today?
TV Channel: ABC
Livestream:Fubo (free trial)
Penn State and Clemson will broadcast nationally on ABC for the Pinstripe Bowl. Dave Pasch and Dusty Dvoracek will call the game from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx with Taylor McGregor reporting from the sidelines. Streaming options for the game include Watch ESPN and Fubo, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Penn State vs Clemson time today
Date: Saturday, Dec. 27
Start time: Noon ET
The Penn State vs Clemson game starts at noon ET from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City.
Stream Penn State vs Clemson with Fubo (free trial)
Penn State vs Clemson predictions, picks, odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Friday, Dec. 26
Spread: Clemson (-2.5)
Over/under: 48.5
Moneyline: Clemson (-140) | Penn State (+115)
Prediction, Frank Bodani, York Daily Record: Penn State 30, Clemson 24
Prediction, Derrian Carter, Greenville News: Clemson 30, Penn State 27