(WHTM) — Penn State interim head football coach Terry Smith discussed taking over the head coaching job in the Nittany Lions' Week 8 press conference after James Franklin's firing on Sunday.

Smith gives his thanks to Franklin for his tutelage, leading Penn State out of a 'dark place'

Smith first acknowledged how instrumental Franklin was to Penn State's football program, and he expressed his gratitude to Franklin for working under him for many years.

"I would like to thank Coach Franklin for an incredible 11-plus years of service and dedication to this program and to our student-athletes," Smith said. "I've known coach a long time. He brought me here. We entered this year in year 12 together. I learned so much from it as a parent, a father, and a coach, how to run a world-class program.

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