Penn State lineman praised for viral moment helping equipment staff after loss to Ohio State

An offensive lineman from Penn State University is being praised after a viral moment caught on camera showed him helping an equipment staff member after his team's loss to Ohio State over the weekend. 

Penn State traveled to Columbus to face No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday, losing the game 38-14. It was Penn State's fifth straight loss since opening the season with a 3-0 record.

After the game, a moment was captured on video by Penn State reporter Mark Brennan that showed offensive guard Vega Ioane jumping over a wall and railing and helping a staffer push an equipment cart up a ramp out of Ohio Stadium.  The video posted on X was viewed more than five million times.

Interim head coach Terry Smith spoke about the moment during his weekly press conference on Monday and said that moments like the one involving Vega Ioane speak to the leadership of his team.

"When you see what Vega did coming up the ramp and to jump across the banister to help out like that, it's a testimony to the guys that we have here in this locker room," Smith said. "It's a testimony to Penn State. It's a testimony to the program of how things are run here."

Smith added that while Penn State may be going through struggles at the moment, it doesn't change the character of the team.

Penn State's upcoming schedule doesn't get any easier as the Nittany Lions will host No. 2 Indiana on Saturday. 

Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. at Beaver Stadium. 

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