SMU coach Rhett Lashlee on having his backup QB against Penn State: ‘Having that experience is definitely a plus for us’
Penn State and SMU have more than a few things in common ahead of their first round College Football Playoff matchup on Saturday. Each is in the 12-team field for the first time. Both have a top-20 offense and a top-30 defense. They each have a backup quarterback in the transfer portal, too.
SMU and Penn State backup QBs are both in the portal, but only one is available for the CFP; ‘it’s huge,’ Mustangs’ coach says
But, there is one major difference about that: Mustang Preston Stone is sticking with the team for the duration of its postseason run. Nittany Lion Beau Pribula is not. It’s true that if either team must turn to their No. 2 option under center, for any reason, their chances of winning will be greatly impacted. But, while this weekend’s home team has an advantage in many areas, this will not be one of them.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s huge,” Mustangs coach Rhett Lashlee said Tuesday. “You keep some continuity. As we all know, Preston’s played a lot of football, won a lot of games. That’s been a big deal for us all year. You know, even at Louisville, when he went in and one play throws a touchdown pass. So, you know, we do have Keldric Luster, who we have a lot of belief in. I mean, we think Keldric’s more than capable of going in the game and playing winning football right now, and we expect that to be the case next year as well.
“But to have the experience that Preston brings is definitely a positive for us in the event that we have to turn to our second guy. Just because, you know, this environment and this stage that we’re getting to play on is not your week two home game stage. So, having that experience is definitely a plus for us.”
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Stone was the Mustangs starter until mid-September, when now All-ACC pick Kevin Jennings took over. Pribula, of course, has been oft-used in a variety of ways by coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and also took over with Drew Allar hurt and led the Lions to a win at Wisconsin.
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Penn State head coach James Franklin felt like the way the NCAA calendar currently works put Pribula in a “no-win” situation. Some will wonder why Stone could stick around while Pribula could not. For starters, every player, team, and their respective scenarios are different. Then, there is this reality: Stone has more film to lean on while looking for a new school and preparing for his next stop. He led SMU to the AAC title game last year and has 450 pass attempts to his name over four seasons. Pribula has just 56.
And, so, Stone’s portal process might have more of an on-field focus. The Penn State junior, meanwhile, might find a school by showing up on another college’s campus and impressing the staff while essentially interviewing for a spot elsewhere in combination with his tape. And that’s impossible to do while preparing for a game.
All told, the situation is less than ideal for all involved. It’s not the first time two teams set to play in the Playoff will have to deal with this. But, if either has to deal with playing a backup quarterback on Saturday, one side, SMU, will have an experienced signal caller to put in. And Penn State, of course, will turn to a quarterback who has yet to take a snap this year, freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer, in all likelihood.
It ultimately may not end up mattering. But, it is a storyline that is and will continue to be on the mind of many before kickoff.
