Terry Smith had to fight back some tears on the field in the seconds after Penn State beat Rutgers.

At that point on Nov. 29, the Nittany Lions interim coach was faced with the possibility that it would be his final game on the sideline of his alma mater.

Ten days later, Smith was talking about leading the Lions again for a matchup with Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl and remaining on staff for the foreseeable future.

Clarity for both Smith and Penn State arrived late last week when the Lions reached a deal with Iowa State’s Matt Campbell to be the program’s new head coach. Smith had fought to land the full-time job himself but ultimately he elected to stay and work with Campbell because of their previous relationship.

“I love the university,” Smith said Tuesday during a Pinstripe Bowl p

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