BRONX, N.Y. – Penn State Football (7-6) earned a 22-10 victory over Clemson (7-6) on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. The Nittany Lions secured a fourth-straight victory to close out the 2025 season in addition to the program’s 34th postseason win.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer completed 23-of-34 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Trebor Peña led the team in receiving with 100 yards on five receptions, including a 73-yard score for the game’s first touchdown. Senior wide receiver Devonte Ross hauled in eight balls for 84 yards while redshirt sophomore tight end Andrew Rappleyea logged five receptions and a touchdown.
On the ground, redshirt freshman running back Quinton Martin Jr. ran for 101 of the team’s 135 rushing yards, on 20 carries. Redshirt sophomore kicker Ryan Barker converted all three of his field goal attempts including two from 40-plus-yards.
The Nittany Lions’ defense proved stout from start to finish, holding the Tigers to just 236 yards of offense. The unit combined for four sacks, six tackles for loss and eight pass break ups. On third down, Penn State held Clemson to five conversions on 15 attempts in addition to two fourth down stops.
Two sacks came from senior defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, while redshirt freshman defensive end Jaylen Harvey and redshirt freshman safety Vaboue Toure combined for the other two. Toure tied with senior linebacker Amare Campbell for the team lead in tackles with seven. Freshman cornerback Daryus Dixson broke up three passes to lead Penn State.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Nittany Lions opened the contest on defense and forced the Tigers into a quick three-and-out. Clemson attempted a fake punt, but the Blue & White had it covered as the pass from the punter would fall incomplete. The Penn State offense went to work with excellent field position at the Clemson 32-yard line, moving the ball inside the five before a Barker field goal put PSU ahead 3-0.
The two sides would trade scoreless drives as the game moved into the second quarter. A turnover on downs put the Tigers near midfield, but a sack from Dennis-Sutton forced the third three-and-out on Clemson’s fourth drive. The Tigers eventually moved into the red zone but failed to tie to the game with a missed 33-yard field goal with 6:08 to go in the second frame. On the ensuing Clemson drive, a successful 48-yard field goal would level the score at 3-3. Harvey registered his first career sack on the drive.
The Nittany Lions put together a strong 10 play, 48-yard drive to end the half as Grunkemeyer completed two balls to Ross in addition to one each to freshman wide receiver Koby Howard and Rappleyea for 34 yards total. Martin tacked on a 14-yard rush as well. Barker would drill a 48-yard field goal as time expired to put Penn State ahead 6-3 at the break.
PSU began the second half with the ball and worked it down the field behind a blend of rushing and passing. Sophomore tight end Luke Reynolds hauled in a 21-yard pass while Martin ran for 15 yards. A failed fourth down attempt ultimately ended the promising drive. The Blue & White defense held firm after the Tigers crossed midfield to force another punt with just over five minutes to go in the third quarter.
Penn State’s offense carried their momentum into the next drive as Martin rushed for 26 yards on the first four plays of the drive. Howard caught a 13-yard pass while Reynolds added 17 yards. The drive went into the fourth quarter and on the first play of the frame, Barker extended the lead to six with a 43-yard field goal.
Clemson could not muster much on the next possession and was forced into its fifth punt. The Nittany Lions wasted no time as Grunkemeyer found Peña over the middle, who then broke through two defenders, for a 73-yard score, marking the longest reception of his career. A failed two-point conversion attempt left the score at 15-3 with under 13 minutes to play in the final quarter.
The Tigers scored their first touchdown of the game behind a 10 play, 65-yard drive, capped by a 2-yard rushing score to bring the game back within one possession at 15-10 in favor of Penn State. The Nittany Lions responded with another touchdown drive as Grunkemeyer found Rappleyea in the end zone from 11 yards out to make the score 22-10 as the clock ticked below four minutes.
Penn State made a pivotal stand on Clemson’s next drive as the defensive unit forced a fourth-and-11 attempt that had no chance thanks to the first career sack from Toure, who came flying into the backfield. The offense took over with 2:29 to play, successfully running out the clock to earn the win.
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and ticket information for the 2026 Penn State Football season presented by PSECU, as well as club seating in West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.GoPSUsports.com, or call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.