No. 6 seed Penn State football (12-2, 8-1 Big Ten) dominated No. 11 seed SMU (11-3, 8-0 ACC) 38-10 in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday afternoon in Beaver Stadium.

With temperatures below freezing for Beaver Stadium’s first-ever playoff game, Penn State’s defense wreaked havoc in the first half with two pick-sixes. Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton each had a touchdown to take a 28-0 lead into halftime.

The Nittany Lions continued to dominate in the second half. Allen had another touchdown, and SMU scored once with the game already out of reach. Penn State’s next opponent is Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

How It Happened

Drew Allar tossed it to Singleton for no gain. Trey Wallace caught a 7-yard pass, but Allar threw an incompletion to force a punt.

Brashard Smith gained 1 yard. Kevin Jennings fired an 18-yard pass to Matthew Hibner, and Smith rushed for another 7. A pass interference call put SMU at the 28-yard line, and Jennings scrambled 4 yards. Smith’s run brought up 3rd-and-2, and he gained a yard to make it fourth down. Jennings’ pass was broken up by Zakee Wheatley in the end zone to turn the ball over.

Tyler Warren rushed 6 yards, and Allen gained 2. Allar scrambled 6 yards to refresh the downs. On a shovel pass, Allen gained 13 yards. On 3rd-and-8 three plays later, an incompletion forced another punt.

On the second play of SMU’s drive, Dom DeLuca intercepted Jennings’ pass and took it 23 yards to the house for a pick-six. Ryan Barker’s extra point made it 7-0 with 6:08 left in the first quarter.

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— Onward State (@OnwardState) December 21, 2024

Smith combined for 9 yards on the first two plays. On 3rd-and-1, though, he was halted to force a punt.

Allar fired a 13-yard pass to Khalil Dinkins. Singleton ripped a 14-yard gain, then Warren caught a 15-yard pass to reach the Mustangs’ 26-yard line. A 3-yard gain and an incompletion brought up third down, and Allar was sacked for a 6-yard loss. The offense stayed on the field, and he threw an incompletion to turn it over on downs.

LJ Johnson Jr. ripped an 8-yard gain. A holding call made it 2nd-and-12, but Brashard Smith caught a 7-yard pass. Jennings completed a 5-yard pass to Key’Shawn Smith to extend the drive. Then, Roderick Daniels Jr. caught a 20-yard pass to reach Penn State’s 41-yard line. A 6-yard loss and an incompletion brought up 3rd-and-16.

Then, with Beaver Stadium’s crowd hitting a crescendo, Tony Rojas picked Jennings off and raced 59 yards into the end zone for another pick-six to give Penn State a 14-0 lead with 13:09 left in the second quarter.

Brashard Smith caught a 10-yard pass and then ripped a 16-yard run. The Mustangs faced 3rd-and-9 after two runs, and Jennings’ incomplete pass was nearly intercepted for a third time.

A 2-yard gain and an incompletion brought up third down. Wallace caught a 7-yard pass, but Penn State’s offense remained on the field for fourth down. The tush-push was unsuccessful, and SMU regained possession on the 19-yard line.

SMU got all the way to the 6-yard line. However, DeLuca picked off Jennings for his second time and Penn State’s third. The Nittany Lions took over at their 25-yard line.

After two incompletions, Allar hit Wallace with a 25-yard pass on third down. He completed a 9-yard pass to Warren, then scrambled 13 yards to SMU’s 33-yard line. Three plays later, Allen exploded for a 25-yard touchdown run to give the Nittany Lions a 21-0 lead with five minutes left in the first half.

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— Onward State (@OnwardState) December 21, 2024

Jennings completed an 8-yard pass to Moochie Dixon, then Jennings ran 6 yards. Two incompletions brought up 3rd-and-10, and Jennings completed a 7-yard pass to Jordan Hudson. On 4th-and-3, Dani Dennis-Sutton swarmed the gap and sacked Jennings to turn the ball over again.

Nick Singleton combined for 15 yards. He picked up another 3 yards to make it 3rd-and-7, and Allar rushed 11 yards to reach SMU’s 9-yard line. Singleton’s run to the 1-yard line had the Nittany Lions knocking on the door, and he bulldozed into the end zone to give them a 28-0 lead with 1:03 left in the half.

Brashard Smith returned it to SMU’s 47-yard line. An incompletion and backward run by Johnson brought up 3rd-and-12, but Jennings fired a 20-yard pass to Hibner. A facemask call put the Mustangs on the 20-yard line, and Smith ripped an 8-yard run. The Mustangs reached the 5-yard line, but two false starts and heavy defensive pressure were too much to overcome. Collin Rogers’ 28-yard field goal made it 28-3 Penn State with 10:59 left in the third quarter.

Penn State recovered an onside kick at SMU’s 48-yard line. Singleton ripped an 18-yard run, but Allar lost 9 yards on a sack. An unnecessary roughness call against the Mustangs gave Penn State a first down at the 29-yard line. The drive stalled, and Barker’s field goal made it 31-3 with 8:13 left in the quarter.

Daniels caught a 9-yard pass, but SMU lost 2 yards on the next play. Smith gained a yard, then 2 to convert on fourth down. Johnson gained 4 yards, then 9 for another first down. Jennings connected with Hudson on a 22-yard play, then Smith reached the 2-yard line. A false start and a deflected pass brought up 2nd-and-goal, and Jennings threw another incompletion. Abdul Carter sacked Jennings for an 18-yard loss, and SMU’s field goal attempt was unsuccessful.

Singleton ripped a 9-yard run, then Allen picked up 6. Allen bulldozed his way for another 6 and then rushed 17 yards to reach SMU’s 37-yard line. Singleton reached the 9-yard line, then Allen scored from the 4-yard line to make it 38-3 with 12:56 left in the fourth quarter.

SMU never got past its own 21-yard line and was forced to punt. True freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer entered at quarterback and handed it to Singleton for a one-yard gain. His first pass was tipped by Wallace and intercepted by Brandon Crossley at the 42-yard line.

Daniels caught a 28-yard touchdown pass to cap off a seven-play drive. Penn State led 38-10 with 7:31 left in regulation.

From the 8-yard line, Singleton and Corey Smith combined for 2 yards. Grunkemeyer fired a 9-yard pass to Wallace. Smith ripped a 7-yard run, but the drive stalled and Penn State punted to end the game.

Takeaways

• Penn State’s defense couldn’t have been better in the first half. Two pick-sixes set the tone immediately, and Jennings was chased around repeatedly. The defensive play rattled SMU, and Jennings in particular didn’t look like himself throughout the rest of the game.
• The run game was outstanding. The Nittany Lions had 189 rushing yards and three touchdowns, which made up for a passing game that uncharacteristically struggled at times. Both Singleton and Allen have recently been playing well, which should scare any opponent.
• James Franklin took a big step forward by winning this game. Although SMU isn’t Ohio State, Michigan, or another top-10 team, winning a playoff game is evidence his team won’t fold when it matters.
• Boise State is a formidable opponent, but Penn State has a clear path to at least the semifinal if it prepares and plays the way it did today. This was an all-around beatdown and something the Nittany Lions deserve to be proud of.

What’s Next

Penn State faces No. 3 Boise State in the quarterfinal in the Fiesta Bowl at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 31, in State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.