The games keep getting bigger for Penn State football.

Last time out, the Nittany Lions fell 45-37 against Oregon in the Big Ten Championship. The loss handed them a home first-round tilt in the College Football Playoff, for the first time ever.

The opponent: SMU Mustangs.

The ACC runner-ups boast talent on both sides of the ball. Let’s break down the Mustangs ahead of Saturday’s looming White Out in Happy Valley.

The Team

SMU went 11-2 overall and 8-0 in ACC play. The Mustangs lost 34-31 to Clemson in the ACC Championship and BYU in September.

Rhett Lashlee is SMU’s head coach. He’s gone 29-11 over three seasons in Dallas, including losses in the Fenway Bowl and the New Mexico Bowl.

Scott Symons is in his third season as SMU’s defensive coordinator and previously held the same position at Liberty. Rickey Hunley Jr. is his co-defensive coordinator.

Like Symons, Casey Woods is also in his third season as the Mustangs’ offensive coordinator. He came from Mizzou. Rob Likens and Garin Justice are his co-offensive coordinators.

Penn State owns a 1-1-0 all-time series record against SMU. The first-ever matchup, a 13-13 tie in the 1948 Cotton Bowl, was when the “We Are” phrase came to be. Penn State won the other matchup 26-21 in 1978.

Offense

Kevin Jennings is SMU’s starting quarterback. The sophomore from Oak Cliff, Texas, has 3,050 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a 66% completion rate. He also has 379 rushing yards and five touchdowns. A versatile player who can extend plays, James Franklin compared Jennings to Lamar Jackson.

Brashard Smith lines up at running back. Despite Jennings’ tendencies to run frequently, Smith still has 1,270 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. LJ Johnson Jr., his understudy, has 277 yards and five touchdowns. Smith also has 303 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.

SMU’s No. 1 wide receiver is Roderick Daniels Jr. with 599 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Key’Shawn Smith leads the team with five touchdowns and 512 yards. Jordan Hudson has 382 receiving yards and five touchdowns, while Moochie Dixon has 378 and one.

Tight ends RJ Maryland and Matthew Hibner are also very involved in the receiving game. Maryland has 359 yards and four touchdowns, while Hibner has 330 and four.

Savion Byrd and Logan Parr line up at left tackle and left guard. Jakai Clark is at center, while PJ Williams and Justin Osborne are at right tackle and right guard.

SMU’s 39.9 points per game ranks No. 2 in the ACC and No. 6 in the country.

Defense

Linebacker Kobe Wilson leads SMU with 110 tackles. He also has three sacks and two interceptions. Alongside him is Ahmad Walker, who has 82 tackles and a pick. Alexander Kilgore also gets time and has 51 tackles and three pass breakups.

Isaiah Nwokobia anchors the Mustangs’ secondary at safety. He has 96 tackles along with three interceptions and pass breakups. Jonathan McGill lines up next to him, and he has 54 tackles, six breakups, and three picks. Ahmaad Moses also gets time and has 70 tackles, six pass breakups, and three picks.

Brandon Crossley is at left cornerback. He has 32 tackles and seven pass breakups. Opposite Crossley is Deuce Harmon, who has eight pass breakups and an interception.

Elijah Roberts and Jahfari Harvey are the defensive ends. Harvey has a team-high 12 tackles for loss and seven sacks, while Roberts has nine and 5.5. Between them are Jared Harrison-Hunte and Kori Robertson Jr. Harrison-Hunte has eight tackles for loss, six sacks, and an interception. Meanwhile, Robertson has 23 tackles, three pass breakups, two quarterback hurries, and a sack.

Special Teams

Collin Rogers is 23-of-31 on field goal attempts, with his longest hit being a 55-yarder. He’s also averaging 63.3 yards per kickoff. Isaac Pearson is averaging 44.13 yards per punt, with 58 yards being his longest.

On punt returns, Daniels is averaging 9.86 yards along with a touchdown. Smith handles kickoff returns, and he’s averaging 22.09 yards per return.