Copyright Mechanicsburg Patriot News
Penn State is a three-touchdown underdog at No. 1 Ohio State this weekend, with its backup quarterback and an interim head coach leading the charge. The stakes simply aren’t what we’ve become accustomed to between the pair of Big Ten giants. But this will be a special occasion for quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer in his second career start, for reasons well beyond his ongoing audition to be the starting QB in 2026 at Penn State or elsewhere. Grunkemeyer grew up in Lewis Center, Ohio, just a 16-mile drive north of Ohio Stadium. The former Olentangy High School four-star grew up an avid Buckeyes fan before making his way to Pennsylvania. Grunkemeyer explained Tuesday that he had a good relationship with Ohio State in his recruiting process. He visited campus a few times, but the Buckeyes never extended an offer. Now, the redshirt freshman will roam the opposing sideline in a chance to flip the 2025 college football season on its head. Plenty of friends and family will be in attendance to see him try to accomplish such a feat. He’s still working through ticket requests for Saturday’s noon kickoff. “Since I was a kid, I dreamed about playing in that stadium. So it’s gonna be cool to go back home and be able to have the chance to do that,” Grunkemeyer said. “I’m super excited for that. The prep is not going to be any different, but I think the opportunity to play in front of my family and people that live back home will be super exciting for me.” Grunkemeyer’s first start at Penn State wasn’t particularly pretty. He completed 15 of 28 passes for just 93 yards and two interceptions. The numbers may be slightly deceptive, as he had to navigate an extremely hostile Kinnick Stadium in the 25-24 loss at Iowa. Grunkemeyer and the offense handled pre-snap communication smoothly despite the environment, something he said he was most proud of from his performance. He added that building his comfort level in the pocket was a point of emphasis to improve, helped by having a bye last week. Interim head coach Terry Smith hinted toward the game plan being simplified this week to put Grunkemeyer in a position to succeed. “We can’t ask him to go out there and throw the ball 45 times and be effective and win that way. We‘ve got to create the run game and have some pass plays off the run game,” Smith said Monday. “We have to be able to give him some throws that are some one- or two-read type throws, and not overcomplicate it for him.” Penn State’s passing attack has been rough all season. The Nittany Lions rank 110th of 136 FBS teams at just 185.4 passing yards per game. Ohio State won’t make it easy on them, either, entering play third nationally with just 131.3 passing yards allowed per game. The OSU defense also ranks first in scoring (5.9 points per game) and total defense (216.9 yards per game). Grunkemeyer has turned to former PSU starter Drew Allar — a fellow Ohio native — for help preparing this week. Allar told his successor to be ready for Ohio State to do “a lot of different things” under first-year defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. Smith has also been a positive influence on Grunkemeyer and the offense, spending tons of time in practice with the unit after dropping his former cornerbacks coach title. Smith has challenged offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnikci to be more vertical in the passing game. He has also appointed young receivers Tyseer Denmark and Koby Howard for more playing time, hoping to generate any kind of on-field spark. “He’s straightforward, tells us what we need to do to improve,” Grunkemeyer said. “So I think that’s been super helpful from his lens as the DBs coach, and I don’t take that for granted, because I like to hear all the different views and what he has to say.” Grunkemeyer said he went to the 2017 Penn State-Ohio State game in Columbus, when the Buckeyes overcame a 21-3 start to win, 39-38. He mentioned Saquon Barkley’s opening kickoff return touchdown as a lasting memory from the thriller. That day, he was rooting hard for the home team. Eight years later, things have changed quite a bit. “I’ve obviously grown to be huge Penn State fan, so going back will be super fun,” Grunkemeyer said. “I always watched the Penn State-Ohio State games and, and I think that just is a dream come true, being able to play in it.”
