Smith, Penn State’s interim head coach, took over for James Franklin, who was fired Sunday after the Nittany Lions lost three straight games. He has just four practices to prepare Penn State for a trip to face the Hawkeyes at a sold-out Kinnick Stadium.

Ethan Grunkemeyer embraced the mentality of preparing like a starter throughout his first two seasons as a backup quarterback at Penn State, but it was still unexpected when he found himself trotting onto the field at Beaver Stadium last Saturday.