Accountability.
Some college football coaches reference it during a season.
Terry Smith demands it.
Penn State, once No. 2 in the country in 2025, was struggling when Smith took over for James Franklin in mid-October.
The Nittany Lions were 3-3 at the time and Franklin was relieved of his coaching duties.
Penn State has played six games with Smith, a former PSU team captain, guiding the program’s players and assistant coaches.
After starting 0-3 against Iowa, Ohio State and Indiana, Penn State is 3-3 under Smith and rolling into its Pinstripe Bowl matchup with Clemson later this month at Yankee Stadium.
Film sessions after games and practices — accountability tape — can be rough to watch. But the Lions’ players believe they are better because of it.
“You get that good balance of, (Smith is) going to love you hard but he’s going to coach you hard, as well,” Penn State redshirt freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer said earlier this season, referring to Smith’s accountability tape.
“We all mess up in practice, so just learning from it, moving on. And then he’s also gonna show what you did well and how to keep building on that.”
During a Pinstripe Bowl video press conference, Smith said he has always believed in the value of accountability tape.
“I think I’ve been doing it all my life as a coach,” said Smith, an Aliquippa native and former Gateway head coach.
“It was how I was brought up. You were just accountable for your actions.
“I have a sign in my cornerback room that says: ‘Check your feelings in at the door.’
“And what that simply means is, anything you put on the tape, we have to discuss. The the good plays, we pat you on the back; the bad plays, we need to correct them and fix them.”
Penn State’s veteran left tackle Drew Shelton is a fan of Smith’s approach. PSU’s coach gets after players in team meetings.
“It’s easy to call out the freshmen that aren’t doing the right thing,” Shelton said earlier this season.
“But when (Smith) goes at the seniors, the three-year starters, when he goes at guys like that … it sets the tone for those guys.”
“I think for guys at this level, they all want to be NFL guys,” Smith said. “And the only way you can get there is to be able to fix your problems.”
Smith continued: “When we show a tape and you’re getting called out in front of your teammates, it’s an uncomfortable feeling. But it’s a learning lesson, right? Part of the learning lesson is, don’t put bad things on film.
“Don’t let effort ever be a problem, right? Because if you’re loafing on a play, that’s the worst thing you can do in football.
“If you miss a block or miss a tackle or miss a play, what is the correction? As long as we’re fixing and solving these things, then it’s effective.”
