GLENDALE, Ariz.
Brandon Smith — with a stunned look as he peered around the University of Phoenix Stadium locker room with an open smile — still couldn’t believe it.
Thirty minutes after Penn State pulled out a 35-28 win over Washington at Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl, 30 minutes after the end of his storybook career, he couldn’t believe that Huskies wide receiver Dante Pettis, in the process of a desperate hook-and-ladder, tossed the football in his direction on the game-clinching play.
“It was right to me,” Smith said, still gawking with his shoulder pads and jersey covered by a navy blue “CHAMPIONS” shirt.