It wasn’t good to be a Mustang on Saturday afternoon.

Penn State football gave SMU the business with a 38-10 thrashing in below-freezing temperatures and a White Out in Beaver Stadium. The performance, which included a bounce-back outing from Tom Allen’s defense, was solid in multiple areas, albeit with some struggles. Before attention pivots to Boise State and Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty, let’s recap how each position group did in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

Quarterbacks: C

Drew Allar’s 59% completion rate against SMU was unusually low, as his season rate is 68.5%. He had 127 passing yards without any touchdowns or interceptions. He had some ups and downs but didn’t impact the game much.

True freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer made his Penn State debut as the team’s new backup. He threw an interception on his first pass attempt, but he connected with Trey Wallace on a nine-yard play the next drive.

Running Backs: A+

Earlier in the season, Kaytron Allen said running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider makes sure the group knows they’re the “baddest motherf—–s on the field.” Against SMU’s defense, they absolutely were.

Allen ran angry with 70 yards and two touchdowns. He “kicked the door down” in the end zone after each one. Nick Singleton, meanwhile, had 90 rushing yards and a touchdown. After his visit to the end zone, he went to the sideline and told James Franklin he was a “violent (expletive) man.”

The duo also got involved in the passing game. Allen had two catches for 28 yards, while Singleton had two for seven. Their recent performances should concern any opponent in the country.

Quinton Martin and Corey Smith each had carries late in the game. By the end of the afternoon, the running backs had 179 rushing yards.

Wide Receivers: D+

Wallace had four catches for 48 yards, and Liam Clifford had one for seven. The group hasn’t been involved much this season, so it isn’t surprising to see two players get minimal action.

Penn State’s offense is versatile enough that the wide receivers have been able to get by without significant action while it still wins games. It would be naive to say change needs to happen for the Nittany Lions to continue playing, but it sure would be nice. Don’t count on it, though.

Tight Ends: B-

A major reason behind the wide receivers’ lack of involvement or need thereof is Tyler Warren. But surprisingly, he only had four catches for 33 yards. That’s his second-fewest total of the season, but his 18 yards after catch shows how difficult it is to tackle him. Warren also had a six-yard run.

Khalil Dinkins got involved with a 13-yard catch, and Luke Reynolds was in the game but didn’t register any statistics. The group had a fine outing.

Offensive Line: B-

Penn State’s offensive line allowed five tackles for loss, three sacks, and three hurries, but it also helped the ground game get 189 yards. It was a mixed bag, but paving the way for nearly 200 rushing yards is pretty cool.

Front Seven: A+

The front seven had not one, but two pick-sixes. Dom DeLuca opened the scoring with a 23-yard score in the first quarter, while Tony Rojas took another 56 yards to the house in the second. DeLuca had another interception to secure his first multi-pick game.

Meanwhile, Kevin Jennings and the Mustangs had a long day. Jennings was sacked 2.5 times by the front seven, while the group had 7.5 tackles for loss and six hurries. A cold afternoon was made even more miserable for the Dallas, Texas, team by Penn State’s front seven.

Secondary: A

Jennings had 195 passing yards and a late touchdown for a 56% completion rate. He seemed rattled almost the whole game. No. 1 wideout Roderick Daniels Jr. had 64 yards, and SMU spread the ball around when it could, which wasn’t often.

Penn State’s secondary had 3.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, a hurry, and half a sack. Those, along with limiting the receiving game significantly, made for a solid performance.

Special Teams: A

Ryan Barker’s lone field goal was a 40-yard attempt, and he hit every extra point attempt. Zion Tracy had a 12-yard punt return, while Singleton had a 25-yard kickoff return. Riley Thompson had three punts for 108 yards. Everyone did their jobs!