This recap has been revised as of May 13, 2026 to remove encoding errors and unsupported postgame quotes. It now uses verified game data from Penn State, Clemson, ESPN, and Associated Press coverage.
Final Score and Context
Penn State beat Clemson 22-10 on December 27, 2025 at Yankee Stadium in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. The win moved the Nittany Lions to 7-6 and closed the season with four straight victories.
Penn State’s official recap, Clemson’s official recap, and ESPN’s game page all list the same core result: Penn State 22, Clemson 10. The game was tied 3-3 late in the first half, Penn State led 6-3 at halftime, and the Nittany Lions pulled away with 16 fourth-quarter points.
Offensive Leaders
Ethan Grunkemeyer completed 23 of 34 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns in Penn State’s official recap. ESPN’s box score lists 260 passing yards because of college-stat accounting differences, but the broader story is consistent across sources: Grunkemeyer delivered one of his strongest games during the late-season stretch.
Trebor Pena led the receivers with five catches for 100 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Penn State’s university photo-gallery summary also noted that Pena was named the game’s most valuable player. Quinton Martin Jr. carried 20 times for 101 yards, giving Penn State balance without relying on the departed top backs.
Andrew Rappleyea caught the second touchdown from Grunkemeyer, an 11-yard score with 4:56 left that pushed the lead to 22-10. Ryan Barker handled the early scoring with field goals of 22, 48, and 43 yards.
Defense and Special Teams
Clemson finished with 10 points and 43 rushing yards, according to Penn State’s official notes and recap materials. Penn State’s postgame notes said the 43 rushing yards allowed broke the Pinstripe Bowl record and ranked as the fourth-fewest rushing yards Penn State had allowed in a bowl game.
The pass rush produced four sacks, tying a Pinstripe Bowl record. Dani Dennis-Sutton was credited by Penn State’s postgame notes with two sacks, tying the Pinstripe Bowl individual record and ranking among the best Penn State bowl sack performances.
Barker’s 48-yard field goal at the end of the first half and 43-yarder early in the fourth quarter also mattered. Penn State’s postgame notes identified the 48-yarder as the third-longest field goal in Penn State bowl history.
Clemson Side
Clemson’s official recap listed Cade Klubnik at 22 completions on 39 attempts for 193 yards. The Tigers also noted that Klubnik passed Tajh Boyd as Clemson’s all-time leader in career completions during the game and became the fourth Clemson quarterback to pass for 10,000 career yards.
That context matters because the game was not only a Penn State reset point. It also closed a difficult Clemson season and marked the end of several Clemson storylines.
Why It Matters
The Pinstripe Bowl did not erase Penn State’s midseason collapse, but it changed the offseason tone. Instead of entering the Matt Campbell era on a losing streak, Penn State carried forward a bowl win, a late-season quarterback sample from Grunkemeyer, and evidence that younger contributors could handle meaningful snaps.
The win also gave Terry Smith a verified historical marker. Penn State’s postgame notes said he became the first interim head coach in program history to earn a bowl win.
Sources and update notes
This update was checked against Penn State’s official December 27, 2025 recap, Penn State’s postgame notes, ESPN’s game page and box score, Clemson’s official recap, the Associated Press recap carried by ESPN/NBC affiliates, and Penn State University’s January 2026 photo-gallery summary.