Penn State-SMU Takeaways: Defense propels Nittany Lions into CFP quarterfinals
By Greg Pickel
Penn State has won its first College Football Playoff game. The No. 6 Nittany Lions dominated No. 11 SMU, 38-10, on Saturday at Beaver Stadium in a first-round matchup. Head coach James Franklin’s team now moves on to face No. 3 Boise State in a quarterfinal clash at the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31.
Here are our initial takeaways from Saturday’s victory.
The Penn State defense dominated
Coming into the day, there was a lot of talk about how dangerous SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings is and how strong running back Brashard Smith is on the ground and as a pass catcher out of the backfield.
Neither shined on this day. Jennings threw pick sixes to linebackers Dominic DeLuca and Tony Rojas in the first half to help the Lions build a 14-0 lead. Despite 17 first downs at the start of the fourth quarter, the Mustangs were a dismal 2 of 11 on third down and 1 of 3 on fourth down to that point in the game. Penn State began bringing its backups in, and SMU finished the game 3 of 14 on third down.
The Mustangs had very little success on the ground, netting 58 yards on 36 attempts, and the Penn State defense stepped up throughout the game in goal-to-go situations. The visitors were just 1 of 4 in the red zone. In addition, PSU had a whopping 11 tackles for loss along with three sacks.
After a disjointed start, defensive coordinator Tom Allen’s unit shined for most of this 60-minute contest.
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The ground game got going
SMU brought the nation’s No. 4 rushing defense to State College. It was beat up by the Penn State offensive line and its two extremely talented rushers. Kaytron Allen scored twice and Nicholas Singleton once as the Lions racked up 180 yards on the ground and a respectable 4.7 yards per carry against a defense that had given up 2.7 yards per carry through 13 games. Drew Allar was fine and did what he needed to do, completing 13 of 22 passes for 127 yards. But for the most part, the Lions leaned on their ground game and got everything they needed.
James Franklin earned his 100th win with the Nittany Lions
Now in his 11th year, Franklin is 100-41 at Penn State after guiding the team to its first CFP win. It’s a major accomplishment for the team after missing out on the previously four-team College Football Playoff. On this day, the Lions took care of business against an overmatched Mustangs side. When PSU is favored at home, it has rarely lost in the Franklin era. This was yet another example of that.
Odds and ends
— This was not a tremendous SEC officiating crew. It would be surprising if they advance to a future College Football Playoff game this season.
— Tyler Warren did not find the end zone, but he had a tremendous impact as a blocker in this game despite only finishing with four receptions for 33 yards.
— It was not a fun weather day. Kudos to a nearly sold-out crowd for showing up the way that it did.
