STATE COLLEGE — Interim head coach Terry Smith has continually talked about a “storm” Penn State must continue to push through to see the other side of a six-game losing streak.

That matches what junior safety King Mack said Wednesday night. Smith — even in his days as the cornerbacks coach — always has an anecdote or catchy quip to properly capture the moment.

“That’s Coach Terry for you,” Mack said. “Coach Terry’s always gonna have a good quote for you, a quote ready to have you ready to run through a brick wall.”

Penn State couldn’t quite make it out of the storm in last Saturday’s 27-24 loss to No. 2 Indiana. Penn State failed to get a clinching first down on offense, and the Hoosiers capped a two-minute march with a toe-tap touchdown to win it.

But the Nittany Lions put together likely their best overall effort of the season.

It was a reminder that Penn State, with one-score losses in five of the last six, is right on the edge of a breakthrough.

And Smith revealed a new motivational analogy after Wednesday’s practice. It involves a simple, universally recognized elementary school supply.

“We talked about a pencil sharpener. The pencil sharpener is the storm that we’re in that I’ve been talking about for weeks. And when you put the pencil in and you start to turn it, you start to take away some of the wood chips of the pencil,” Smith said. “If you pull the pencil out too soon, it’s not ready to write. That was us on Saturday. We pulled it just a little bit too soon, and so we had to go back in.”

Penn State has its best chance to pull out of the storm this weekend. The Lions travel to Michigan State, which has similarly lost six in a row and is searching for its first Big Ten win.

“This week, we’re going to show a finished product of a pencil.” Smith said. “Sharp and ready to write.”

Smith gave his pencil speech in a team meeting this week.

Players walked into the room, sat down and saw their interim leader ready to sharpen a pencil. It was an odd and unexpected scene to walk into.

“It’s funny, because in the moment you’re like, ‘Where is he getting with this?’ ” Mack said. “And then once he explains it again, it’s like, ‘Oh, this makes sense now.’ ”

After he was done, Smith and the staff handed out a pencil to each player to keep as a memory of the analogy. Mack said his was sitting in his locker Wednesday night.

And yes, they’re the iconic yellow, No. 2 pencils with a pink eraser you’re likely envisioning.

The message clearly resonated.

“One of our teammates today, he was having an interview, and he actually used that same quote Coach T said,” Mack added. “I’m in my head like, ‘Wow. So these guys do listen.’ ”

Penn State held Indiana — the nation’s highest-scoring offense — nearly 20 points below its season average. A simplified scheme from defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has players more aggressive and free on the field.

On the other side, young quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer seemed to take a massive step forward as both a passer and a leader. He completed six passes of 20-plus yards against the Hoosiers, the same number Penn State completed in its previous five losses combined.

Those things add up to the beginnings of a formula for Penn State to put those pencils to good use.

“Now,” Mack said, “it’s time to write the story.”

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