By Audrey Snyder, Chris Vannini and Justin Williams
No. 6 seed Penn State used two first-half interception returns for touchdowns to jumpstart a 38-10 blowout of No. 11 seed SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
The Nittany Lions will move on to meet No. 3 seed Boise State in the first Playoff quarterfinal at the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
Penn State’s offense struggled early on a windy, frigid day in Happy Valley, but two pick sixes by linebackers Dominic DeLuca and Tony Rojas off of SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings gave the Nittany Lions a 14-0 lead in a game that turned into a blowout soon after.
PENN STATE WITH AN EARLY PICK-SIX 🔥
BEAVER STADIUM IS LOUD 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/VX9iQPmwN8
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 21, 2024
SMU, which beat out Alabama, Miami and Ole Miss for the last at-large bid in the first 12-team Playoff, finished its first season as a member of the ACC with an 11-3 record. Penn State (12-2), meanwhile, is likely to be favored against Boise State in Glendale, Ariz., with a spot in a semifinal at the Orange Bowl on the line against the winner of Notre Dame vs. Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
The Athletic’s analysis:
Penn State defense every bit as dominant as it needs to be
DeLuca’s interception return for a touchdown midway through the first quarter immediately brought the White Out crowd to life. Rojas’ interception return, as he weaved his way through the SMU defense for a 59-yard score early in the second quarter, was the play that signified a rout of the Mustangs was on. It’s the first time since 1998 against Michigan State the Nittany Lions returned two interceptions for touchdowns.
DeLuca added the team’s third pick in the first half in what felt like a surreal outing for a defense that’s been superb most of the season but hit another level as Jennings and the Mustangs imploded. With the defense backed up at its own 19 after the Nittany Lions inexplicably went for it and didn’t convert on fourth-and-1, DeLuca’s second interception helped the team get out of a situation where points would’ve kept the door open for the Mustangs.
Penn State scored 21 points off three takeaways in the first half, serving as an ideal bounce-back performance after the 45-37 loss to unbeaten Oregon in the Big Ten title game. The Mustangs ultimately finished with 253 yards as the Nittany Lions racked up 11 tackles for loss, including three sacks.
SMU had four possessions reach the red zone but ended up with just three points to show for it before scoring an inconsequential 28-yard touchdown late. — Snyder
ANOTHER PICK-SIX FOR PENN STATE 😱
THE CROWD IS GOING WILD IN HAPPY VALLEY 🔥 pic.twitter.com/pxw89CKvXE
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 21, 2024
Nittany Lions still have another gear they can reach
As the discourse surrounding whether or not SMU deserved to be in the Playoff presumably rages, give credit to Penn State for, like it’s done all season, winning a game it’s supposed to win. The fact that this game was effectively over at halftime with a 28-0 lead is a reminder of just how dominant Penn State can be. Yes, SMU made a ton of mistakes, but Penn State’s defense was relentless and the Nittany Lions took advantage.
There is still much more Penn State can do, too. If the offense hits a similar level that we saw in the Big Ten title game against Oregon — when it had 523 total yards — then this team can’t be dismissed as a national title contender.
Drew Allar completed 13 of 22 passes for just 127 yards. This wasn’t his sharpest outing, as the Lions leaned on the running game in the cold weather with a lead, but it also didn’t matter because of what the defense was able to do. Nicholas Singleton carried the ball 14 times for 90 yards a touchdown and Kaytron Allen had 11 carries for 70 yards and two touchdowns, including a 25-yarder that put Penn State up 21-0. Most importantly, Penn State didn’t turn the ball over until the game was out of hand and Allar had been relieved by freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer. — Snyder
SMU averaged a season-low 3.5 yards per play Saturday. (Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)
Jennings gave SMU no shot
I mean, what is there to say? Jennings threw the two pick sixes to give the Nittany Lions a 14-0 lead. He also missed a wide-open SMU touchdown on fourth down on the Mustangs’ opening drive and had a tipped interception inside Penn State’s 10-yard line. It’s no secret why Penn State led 28-0 at halftime.
For all of Jennings’ big-play ability this season, he’s also been turnover-prone. He had five turnovers in a win against Duke, and two first-quarter turnovers against Clemson put the Mustangs in a big hole in the ACC title game. They were able to rally to beat Duke and tie the score against Clemson, but this wasn’t Duke or Clemson. This was an elite Penn State defense playing in front of 100,000 home fans.
We wondered if SMU would turn to backup quarterback Preston Stone, who was the starter last year and the beginning of this year. Stone is in the transfer portal but chose to stay with the team and prepare for the Playoff. But SMU stuck with Jennings, the player who will be back next season. Jennings finished 20-of-36 for 195 yards with the three picks and one late touchdown, and his running was largely a non-factor. — Vannini
SMU belongs in the ACC — but it’s not ready for prime time yet
Don’t call the Mustangs a fraud. They went 8-0 in their first ACC season with a roster that hasn’t yet been able to take advantage of the Power 4 conference boost for recruiting and transfers. SMU long said it just needed a power conference invitation and it could win. It got a spot and did so immediately.
But the games against Clemson and Penn State were a reminder of the difference between being a top-20 team and being a top-five team. The defense played hard and actually held up pretty well in the trenches against both. But on Saturday at Penn State, the offense did not. Jennings was constantly running for his life and making bad decisions when he did so.
It’s hard to say anything was close with that final score, but a competitive game was there to be had if it weren’t for the early mistakes. Against the top tier of talented teams, those mistakes turn what could be an upset chance into a blowout. SMU could get away with that against AAC teams last year or a team like Duke this year. Not against the top teams in the ACC and not here against the Big Ten runner-up. — Vannini
GO DEEPER
To make the Playoff, SMU first had to make a $200 million bet on itself
Penn State’s next task? Stopping Ashton Jeanty
It will be the Penn State defense against the Heisman Trophy runner-up in the Fiesta Bowl — a destination where both Penn State (7-0) and Boise State (3-0) are undefeated with storied histories in the game.
Can a top-10 Nittany Lions defense that completely bottled up SMU repeat that performance against the best running back in college football?
There are a few other storylines of note for the Broncos when they meet Penn State in a quarterfinal on Dec. 31. Can unsung quarterback Maddux Madsen avoid the mistakes that plagued Jennings and SMU, and maybe even create a few explosives of his own in the passing game? Can a defensive front anchored by first-team All-Mountain West honorees Ahmed Hassanein and Jayden Virgin-Morgan rattle Allar and keep Penn State’s ground attack in check? It will take a collective effort for Boise to pull off yet another Fiesta Bowl upset, but Jeanty is the Hemi-powered engine that makes this team go.
Penn State has allowed roughly 100 rushing yards per game this season. Jeanty averages nearly double that and is just 131 yards shy of Barry Sanders’ single-season FBS rushing record. Whichever side wins this heavyweight clash on the ground will surely have the upper hand. — Williams
GO DEEPER
There aren’t a lot of firsts at Notre Dame. This was one of them
(Photo of Dom DeLuca: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)
