Highs & Lows: Penn State romps past Mustangs

By Nate Bauer

Penn State could undoubtedly have drawn up a better start to its College Football Playoff debut against SMU on Saturday. The Nittany Lions were disjointed on both offense and defense and needed a failed fourth-down red zone play by the Mustangs to avoid an early deficit.

But their poor start was hardly indicative of how the rest of the game would play out.

Boosted by a defensive effort that included three first-half interceptions of quarterback Kevin Jennings, two of which were returned for touchdowns, the Nittany Lions ran roughshod over the Mustangs for a 38-10 win. They’ll face Boise State at the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve in the quarterfinal round of the College Football Playoff as a result.

Here’s what happened to deliver the Nittany Lions to their next destination:

PLAYER OF THE GAME Penn State’s defense produced a dominant effort, and no player exemplified their success more than Dom DeLuca. The redshirt junior linebacker made two critical interceptions, including a pick six, in the first half to help the Nittany Lions regroup after a rough start. For the day, he finished third on the defense with five tackles, grabbing half a sack to go along with his two interceptions.

PLAY OF THE GAME Penn State’s defense took advantage of an early gift. Forcing the Mustangs into second-and-long after a first-down stop, the Nittany Lions turned the game’s flow on the ensuing play. Jennings was looking for an easy completion, but a misfire landed in the hands of DeLuca, who sprinted 23 yards to the pylon to give the hosts a 7-0 lead. 

Offensive superlatives

BEST PASS The Mustangs were facing a 35-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter, but that didn’t detract from the on-point pass that Jennings threw to Roderick Daniels Jr. to give SMU its only touchdown of the game. Jennings’ 28-yard strike put the Mustangs behind 38-10 with 7:31 left to play.

WORST PASS Early in the game, the Mustangs called a naked bootleg for what should have been a conversion on fourth-and-1. But, seeing an open receiver for a likely touchdown, Jennings casually tossed a pass toward the goal line. Matthew Hibner was unable to wrangle the ill-timed throw, and the pass was broken up by safety Zakee Wheatley for a turnover on downs.

BEST RUN Penn State was stuck in the mud offensively throughout the first half, but the dam finally broke late in the second quarter. Running back Kaytron Allen found a seam on the left hash and ran 25 yards into the end zone. The score gave Penn State a 21-0 advantage. 

WORST DROP Ethan Grunkemeyer’s first career interception arrived before his first completion. Intended receiver Harrison Wallace III was unable to wrangle the pass from the true freshman quarterback, and it fell into the hands of cornerback Brandon Crossley. 

Defensive superlatives

BEST CATCH DeLuca did it again. This time, a second-and-goal pass into the flat from Jennings midway through the second quarter flew straight into the raised arms of the Nittany Lions’ linebacker. Tipping the ball into the air, DeLuca maintained his concentration to reel in his second interception of the afternoon and the Nittany Lions’ third of the first half. 

BEST SACK As flustered as Jennings appeared to be throughout the first half, it wasn’t until late in the second quarter that the Nittany Lions’ pass rush finally brought him down. And it could not have come at a more important time. Penn State defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton launched himself onto Jennings’ back for an 8-yard loss on a fourth-and-short play near midfield.

Abdul Carter’s third-and-goal sack of Jennings late in the third quarter also gets a nod here. The play went for a loss of 18 yards, pushing the Mustangs just beyond the range of field goal kicker Collin Rogers, leading to a short attempt from 42 yards on the next play.

BEST HIT Shedding a blocker to open the second quarter, Penn State cornerback Cam Miller blew up a screen pass by the Mustangs. The first-and-10 throw to Brashard Smith was immediately stopped by Miller for a loss of 6 yards. 

BEST EFFORT Tony Rojas could have hit the deck. After all, his third-and-long interception of Jennings was big enough to return possession to the Nittany Lions already. His ambitions went beyond that, though. Cutting back through traffic, with the the Mustangs’ offense on its heels, Rojas rumbled 59 yards into the end zone to give Penn State a 14-0 lead.

Special teams superlatives

BEST KICK There weren’t a lot of options in this category on a brutally cold and blustery afternoon, but SMU’s Collin Rogers successfully sent home a 28-yard field goal to open the second half. Later in the third quarter, Ryan Barker connected for a 40-yard field goal to put Penn State up 31-3. 

BEST DECISION SMU coach Rhett Lashlee had little choice but to throw caution to the wind early in the second half. He called for an onside kick after SMU scored a field goal on its first possession of the third quarter, and while it wasn’t successful, it was necessary if the Mustangs hoped to get back into the game.

Odds and ends

WORST DECISION James Franklin’s decision to attempt a fourth-and-inches conversion at the Nittany Lions’ 19-yard line was a needless risk. SMU stuffed Drew Allar on a keeper and ended up with excellent field position. DeLuca ended up bailing out PSU with his second interception, but this could have been a very costly miscalculation. 

MOST TELLING MOMENT Facing a critical third-and-long early in the second quarter, SMU’s offense enjoyed its first “Welcome to Beaver Stadium” moment. Jennings needed to call a timeout due to the energy and intensity of the environment, and it only got worse from there for the Mustangs.

Looking for a receiver while rolling to his right, Jennings lobbed a pass to the middle of the field. It ended up in the hands of Rojas, who weaved 59 yards through a defeated Mustangs offense into the end zone to give Penn State a 14-0 lead. 

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