It was a bit of a bumpy ride for Ethan Grunkemeyer in his first collegiate start against Iowa on Saturday night at Kinnick Stadium. But in Penn State’s 25-24 loss to the Hawkeyes, Penn State’s redshirt freshman quarterback displayed some of the skills that excited the Nittany Lions’ coaching staff soon after he arrived in 2024.

C: Penn State nearly won on the road in Terry Smith’s first game as interim coach and Grunkemeyer’s first start. Andy Kotelnicki’s call on fourth-and-1 from the Lions’ 40 late in the third quarter was odd and was stopped. And it’s inexplicable that Jim Knowles’ defense allowed two big QB runs, which set up touchdowns.