No. 6 seed Penn State capitalized on a high-pressure defense and strong run game to pound No. 11 seed SMU 38-10 in the College Football Playoff first round on a frigid Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
The victory in their first-ever playoff game sends the Nittany Lions to the Dec. 31 Fiesta Bowl, where they will face No. 3 seed Boise State in the quarterfinals.
Linebackers Dom DeLuca and Tony Rojas both returned interceptions for touchdowns, and DeLuca had another that led to a Nittany Lion score. Penn State’s defense recorded three sacks and 11 tackles for loss on the day.
The Nittany Lion offense gained 317 yards, with 181 yards on the ground against a rush defense that was ranked fourth in the nation with an average of 93 yards allowed per game. The 1-2 punch of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen led the way, with Singleton running for 90 yards and a score on 14 carries and Allen 11 times for 70 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Drew Allar was 13-22 for 127 yards.
The win was coach James Franklin’s 100th at Penn State.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a Penn State three-and-out to open the game, SMU’s uptempo offense had the Nittany Lion defense on its heels early. An 18-yard pass from Kevin Jennings to Matthew Hibner got the Mustangs to midfield and a pass interference penalty against Jalen Kimber put SMU at the Penn State 28. The Mustangs drove to the Penn State 19, but on fourth and 1, Jennings’ pass to the goal line was broken up by Zakee Wheatley and the Nittany Lions took over on downs.
The Nittany Lions picked up two first downs, but struggled to put together momentum against a stout SMU defense and stalled at their own 47.
SMU went back to work from its own 20 after a Riley Thompson punt. On second and 10, Jennings overthrew his target and Penn State linebacker Dom DeLuca was waiting. DeLuca picked off the pass and returned it 23 yards for the touchdown. The Nittany Lions had a 7-0 lead with 6:08 left in the first quarter.
The Penn State offense was back on the field after a Mustang three-and-out, moving quickly with three consecutive first downs on two Drew Allar passes to tight ends Khalil Dinkins and Tyler Warren and a Nick Singleton run. But on third and 7 from the SMU 23, Allar was sacked for 6-yard loss. On a cold and windy day, Penn State kept the offense of the field on fourth and 13 and Allar’s pass fell incomplete.
2nd Quarter
SMU was on the move to close out the first and kept it up to start the second as Roderick Daniels Jr. took a short pass and broke through some poor tackling for a 20-yard gain to the Penn State 41.
The Nittany Lion defense, though, came up big. After cornerback Cam Miller blew up a pass to Brashard Smith for a six-yard loss, linebacker Tony Rojas intercepted a fluttering Jennings throw and rumbled 59 yards for Penn State’s second pick-six of the day as the hosts took a 14-0 lead with 13:09 remaining in the half.
Another stalled SMU drive and a punt pinned the Nittany Lion offense at its own 10. Facing fourth and 1 from the 19, Penn State made the questionable decision to stay on the field for a QB push that came up short. The Mustangs had a golden opportunity and advanced inside the 10, but DeLuca batted a Jennings pass in the air and hauled it in for his second interception of the day, returning it to the Penn State 25 to end the threat.
The Nittany Lions then put together their best drive of the day to that point, converting two third downs on a 25-yard pass from Allar to Trey Wallace and a 13-yard Allar run to move deep into Mustang territory. On third and short from the SMU 25, Kaytron Allen took a handoff to the house for Penn State’s first offensive touchdown of the game. With Ryan Barker’s PAT, the Nittany Lions extended their lead to 21-0 with five minutes left in the second.
SMU moved out to its own 46 on its next possession, and facing fourth and 3 and a three-score deficit, the Mustangs went for it. Penn State’s defensive pressure continued to get to Jennings, as Dani Dennis-Sutton sacked the Mustang QB for an 8-yard loss and a turnover on downs at the SMU 38.
The Nittany Lion offense took care of business from there. Allar converted a third-and-long with an 11-yard run to the nine, then after an 8-yard carry to the 1, Singleton punched it in for the score. Penn State widened the gap to 28-0 with 1:03 left in the half.
The Mustangs managed a first down late in the half, but the smothering Penn State defense took control again, gang-sacking Jennings for a 10-yard loss and pressuring him into two incompletions to force a punt in the waning moments of the first 30 minutes.
Penn State outgained SMU 216 to 130 and capitalized on all three turnovers en route to the largest halftime lead in a postseason game in program history. The Nittany Lions also recorded two sacks and four QB hurries while turning away two fourth-down attempts and six of seven third down tries.
3rd Quarter
SMU got off to a good start in the third, returning the second half kickoff to its own 47. On third and 12 from the 45, Jennings connected with Hibner for 20 yards and a hands-to-the-face penalty tacked on another 15 to suddenly put the Mustangs at the Penn State 20. SMU moved to the Nittany Lion 4, but with some help from the crowd, two false start penalties derailed the drive and the Mustangs settled for a 28-yard Collin Rogers field goal. SMU’s first points of the day narrowed Penn State’s lead to 28-3.
Penn State recovered an onside kick attempt at the SMU 48, and an 18-yard Singleton run had the Nittany Lions threatening again. Allar was sacked on consecutive plays, but an unnecessary roughness penalty on the second gave Penn State another first down at the 29. The Nittany Lions couldn’t do much from there though, and Barker came on to make a 40-yard field goal that put Penn State ahead 31-3 with 8:13 left in the third.
Keyed by Jennings passes of 22 and 15 yards, as well as a defensive holding penalty, the Mustangs drove all the way to the Penn State 2 on their next possession. But another false start and two incompletions left SMU with a third and goal from the 7, and Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter fought through an uncalled hold to sack Jennings for an 18-yard loss. Rogers’ 42-yard field goal attempt was no good and SMU came away empty-handed.
A punishing ground game dictated the Nittany Lions’ next drive as the third quarter ended and the fourth began.
4th quarter
Penn State went 75 yards in nine plays, all on the ground, with Singleton carrying three times for 31 and Allen rushing six times for 44, including a 4-yard burst up the middle for a touchdown. The Nittany Lions had the game blown wide open with 38-3 lead and 12:56 to go.
After an SMU punt, Penn State started to get its backups work. Freshman QB Ethan Grunkemeyer, seeing his first collegiate action after being elevated to backup following Beau Pribula’s departure, helmed the Nittany Lion offense the rest of the way.
It was an inauspicious start for the freshman, as SMU’s Brandon Crossley picked off Grunkemeyer’s first pass attempt at the Penn State 42. That led to the Mustang’s first and only touchdown drive of the day. Jennings completed a 28-yard pass to Daniels with 7:31 remaining.
Grunkemeyer completed a pass on his next try as the Nittany Lions took five minutes off the clock before punting. SMU could do no more, and the Nittany Lions closed out the first playoff game at Beaver Stadium with a 38-3 win.
