Dani Dennis-Sutton explains how much influence Terry Smith had on him playing in Pinstripe Bowl

In this era, it’s almost expected that a star edge rusher like Dani Dennis-Sutton would sit out of the Pinstripe Bowl. That’s not what happened, though, with Dennis-Sutton proving to be a major reason for the Penn State Nittany Lions‘ win over Clemson.

After the win, Dennis-Sutton spoke about his decision. In particular, he would explain the influence that interim head coach Terry Smith had on him playing in the Pinstripe Bowl.

“I told Coach Terry a couple of weeks ago,” Dani Dennis-Sutton said. “If we make it to a bowl game, I’m playing. I made a dedication to this program. To Coach T, Coach [James] Franklin, all them guys that I’m going to play through this whole season. This program gave me a million opportunities. So, playing in the game, this is nothing. I love football. I love playing football, I love this program. So, it was sort of a no-brainer for me. I don’t really comprehend not playing in the game.”

Dani Dennis-Sutton came to Penn State as a five-star recruit in the Class of 2022. The Delaware native was the 19th-ranked player overall and the third-ranked edge rusher in his recruiting class.

In his four seasons at Penn State, Dennis-Sutton has played in 55 games. During that time, he’s amassed 127 total tackles, 34.5 tackles for a loss, and 23.5 sacks. He also has two interceptions and eight passes defended. He would twice be named Third-Team All-Big Ten.

“It’s an opportunity for me to go out there with my boys one last time,” Dennis-Sutton said. “And it was a privilege. We worked hard to get into the bowl game. Things didn’t go our way in the beginning, but we worked hard to get in this position. So, I just wanted to go out there and take advantage of it.”

The Penn State defense and Dennis-Sutton would come up massive in the Pinstripe Bowl win, holding Clemson to 10 points and 236 total yards. For his part, Dennis-Sutton came up with two sacks in the win.

The decision to play likely didn’t have any major impact on Dennis-Sutton’s NFL Draft stock. After all, there is plenty of film on the veteran edge rusher already available. Had he been injured, though, it could have cost him plenty of stock. So, in a way, the decision to do so was unique in the modern era of college football.

Terry Smith shares emotional reaction to Pinstripe Bowl win vs. Clemson

Terry Smith was emotional after the Pinstripe Bowl win. Knowing it would be his last time as the Penn State head coach before stepping back into an assistant role under a new head coach, Smith would even share that it was the greatest moment of his life.

“We had our backs to the wall. There were many opportunities – when I started, we lost the first three games. We could’ve very well quit, but we didn’t. They chose another path. These are great lessons for life. Perseverance, keep working, good things can happen from just hard work and determination and bonding and banding together,” Smith said.

“I love this group. They’re just a special group of guys. This is the greatest moment of my life. It’s just a great moment for me and my family. … I’m just so happy for our guys.”