What We Learned From Penn State's Playoff Domination of SMU

The Nittany Lions overwhelmed SMU 38-10, advancing to the Fiesta Bowl to face Boise State.

Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton (33) reacts following a sack against the SMU Mustangs during the second quarter of their College Football Playoff game at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

STATE COLLEGE | Penn State’s playoff debut couldn’t have gone much better, as the Nittany Lions slammed SMU 38-10 at Beaver Stadium in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Penn State will head to Arizona to take on No. 3 seed Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31. Here’s how the Nittany Lions got there. 

Penn State's defense terrorizes Kevin Jennings

Penn State’s defense spoiled Kevin Jennings’ playoff debut, forcing three first-half interceptions that helped the Nittany Lions run away with the victory. Jennings, who threw eight interceptions before Saturday’s game, was under constant pressure Saturday. He did a good job scrambling away from sacks but was punished for a few errant passes. Linebacker Dom DeLuca opened the scoring with a 23-yard pick-6, and then fellow linebacker Tony Rojas followed with a 59-yard interception return for a touchdown. It was Penn State’s first game with two pick-6s since a 1998 win over Michigan State. 

“I thought, although we didn't get [Jennings] on the ground as many times as I think we could have, we impacted him dramatically,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. 

With a short field following a failed fourth-down attempt by Penn State, Jennings turned it over again. It was DeLuca for a second time, this time leaping to tip a pass to himself and preventing another SMU scoring opportunity. 

The Mustangs also had a chance to score on their opening drive of the game on a fourth-and-1. Jennings threw behind tight end Matthew Hibner, who was open at the goal line on a play-action bootleg. With a touchdown catch there, SMU would’ve taken a 7-0 lead, and the game could’ve unfolded very differently. 

Jennings finished 20-for-36 passing for 195 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Penn State sacked him just three times, but Jennings was hurried seemingly every other snap. Defensive ends Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton were in the backfield all day, doing damage even on four-man rushes.

Penn State’s defense forced three turnovers that generated 21 points, 14 of them directly by the defense.

“Penn State deserves a ton of credit,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. “I mean, that's going to be a hard out for Boise and whoever else gets to play them.”

The Nittany Lions' offense picks up steam after slow start

Penn State’s offense got off to a rocky start, punting on its first two drives and turning the ball over on downs on its next two possessions. Thanks to mistakes from SMU, the Nittany Lions weren’t punished for the slow start offensively. 

The fifth drive of the game is where it came together for offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s group, which went nine plays for 75 yards and a touchdown. Penn State had another touchdown drive before the end of the first half, and then put up a field goal and a touchdown to take a 38-3 lead going into the fourth quarter. 

The running back duo of Kayton Allen and Nick Singleton did the most damage, rumbling for a combined 160 yards and three touchdowns on 25 rushes. Quarterback Drew Allar had some misses, but he also avoided turnovers. He finished 13-for-22 for 127 yards. 

“They're the best backfield in America, and I truly believe that, and it starts up front at the end of the day for us in both the run and pass game,” Allar said. “But when you have guys like Nick and Kaytron on the team that make a lot of guys miss, it just really helps our offense flow as a whole.”

It was also a quiet day for tight end Tyler Warren. The Mackey Award winner had four catches for 33 yards and one rush for six yards. He did attempt one pass, though it didn’t seem like he received an increase in Wildcat looks with Beau Pribula’s transfer, at least for this week. 

James Franklin makes a 4th-and-1 decision that will define the playoff

Franklin rolled the dice on a fourth-and-1 from his own 19-yard line in the second quarter with Penn State up 14-0. Allar fumbled the exchange on the quarterback sneak and couldn’t get enough for the first down. 

The failed conversion gave SMU a prime chance to get back in the game with a short field. Fortunately for the Nittany Lions, DeLuca made another play by tipping a pass from Jennings and catching the rebound to turn away the Mustangs. 

Franklin said his team has to be able to convert those fourth-and-short situations and defended his decision to go for it even deep in his own territory, saying he’d go for it again. The play also defined Penn State's approach to this postseason. 

“I told the guys we were going to call the game aggressively on offense, defense, and special teams,” Franklin said. “I wanted them to play aggressively. I wanted [defensive coordinator] Tom Allen and Andy Kotelnicki and [special teams coordinator] Justin Lustig to call the game aggressively. Don't play on your heels, play on your toes.”

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Sam Woloson has covered Penn State Athletics for the past three years and is currently the managing editor of The Daily Collegian. His work has also appeared in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Huntingdon Daily News and Rivals. Follow him on X @sam_woloson