Watch Penn State head coach James Franklin's postgame press conference following CFP win over SMU
STATE COLLEGE – Penn State is moving on in the College Football Playoff following Saturday’s 38-10 win over SMU at Beaver Stadium. Coming into the game, many wondered how the Mustangs would handle the combination of cold weather and a massive home-field advantage for the Nittany Lions. It didn’t take long to find out, as SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings threw a pick-six to linebacker Dominic DeLuca on just the second drive of the game, gifting Penn State a 7-0 lead after two poor drives by the Nittany Lion offense.
But that was just the start of what proved to be a rough day for Jennings. Following a three-and-out on their next drive, Jennings threw another pick-six, gifting an easy catch to linebacker Tony Rojas. However, Rojas’ return was anything but easy, avoiding multiple would-be tacklers to take it back 59 yards for a score.
“Maybe the best performance on the defensive side of the ball that I’ve seen in a half,” head coach James Franklin said to open his postgame press conference. “You talk about three interceptions, two for touchdowns. That’s why you recruit linebackers that played running back. That was phenomenal. It took a little bit of time for our offense to get going, but obviously, once we did, we did some great things, specifically get the run game going, which was important for us.”
Highs & Lows: Penn State whips Mustangs en route to CFP win
Following a turnover on downs on Penn State’s own 19-yard line early in the second quarter, it looked as if the Nittany Lions may have provided a gift to SMU. However, that’s when DeLuca came up clutch again, batting down a pass from Jennings at the 7-yard line to secure his second interception of the game and PSU’s third overall. The Mustangs never recovered.
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Penn State’s offense clicked into gear after that, driving the ball 75 yards on nine plays for a score, followed by a 7-play, 38-yard drive before halftime to give the Nittany Lions a 28-0 lead at halftime.
SMU opened the second half with a quality drive (9 plays, 42 yards), but after securing a first and goal from Penn State’s 5-yard line, two false starts down in front of the student section crushed the drive and ultimately led to just a field goal. The Mustangs eventually scored a touchdown with 7:35 left to play in the game, but by then, Penn State had also scored 10 points in the second half.
The win marks James Franklin’s 100th overall in charge of the Nittany Lion program. Penn State is set to now face Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31.
