Tag: SMU Mustangs

Best photos from Penn State’s College Football Playoff win over SMU

Check out some of the best images from Penn State’s first-round win over SMU in the College Football Playoff.

Penn State made its College Football Playoff debut with a laugher in front of a packed Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The frigid temperatures couldn’t keep the defense from heating up with a pair of defensive touchdowns in the first half to set the tone for a 38-10 victory over SMU in the first round of the playoff.

Noon kickoffs in Happy Valley tend to have mixed reviews, but the crowd was fired up for the historic first College Football Playoff game in Beaver Stadium history. And despite the cold weather, the scene looked fantastic.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s dominating victory over SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff from Beaver Stadium on Saturday.

Penn State will take on Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, which will be the quarterfinal round of the College Football Playoff. The Fiesta Bowl is scheduled for Dec. 31 in Glendale, Arizona.

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James Franklin won his biggest game yet and everyone was too busy arguing about SMU to care

You have to feel for James Franklin just a little bit here.

James Franklin has been the head coach at Penn State since 2014, and pretty much since he stepped foot on campus, the knock against Franklin is that he can’t win the Big Game.

We all know the numbers. Franklin is 3-17 against the AP Top 25 and 1-12 against top-5 teams. Whether at home or on the road, favorites or underdogs, Franklin’s disappointments under the brightest lights have tainted his otherwise impressive resume. Too often those losses have led to even uglier moments.

All of which is to say absolutely no one faced more pressure on Saturday at Beaver Stadium in the first round the College Football Playoff than Penn State’s head coach. Lose to No. 11 seed SMU at home — with 100,000 fans and another iconic whiteout — and it’s fair to believe Franklin’s job status would be in question, to say nothing of the absolute roasting he’d get from college fans online.

Thankfully for Penn State, Franklin’s team went out an absolutely throttled the Mustangs, 38-10, with a near-flawless performance. This should’ve been a moment for Franklin to finally receive some flowers. But nope! College fans were far too busy continuing the nonsense debate over whether or not SMU and Indiana even deserved to be in the playoff field.

Even when James Franklin wins, he can’t win, man. It’s quite likely the second-funniest possible outcome on Saturday aside from a Penn State loss.

Think about it. The Nittany Lions held SMU to 253 yards total, stopped the Mustangs from converting all but three of 14 third downs and didn’t allow a touchdown until there were seven minutes left in the game. Even with SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings throwing three interceptions (including two pick-sixes), this was a dominant performance by Franklin’s defense, as his offense meticulously worked the clock and took care of the ball. And seemingly no one cared.

College fans are absolutely ruthless. It feels like Franklin is Squidward waiting for his applause only for SMU’s SpongeBob to steal all the attention with the mess it made.

Now Franklin and Penn State will get ready to face No. 3 seed Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, and all the talk of whether or not Franklin can win the Big Game will surely bubble back up and likely ignore the fact he literally just did.

There may have been bigger matchups during his tenure, but there have never been higher stakes than what Franklin faced on Saturday. It seems he’ll have to keep waiting for most fans to notice.

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Penn State clobbers SMU in College Football Playoff, 38-10

Penn State will face Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl after a blowing out SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

Penn State’s defense set the tone with a pair of pick-sixes against SMU and the offense eventually got things rolling in a one-sided affair in the first College Football Playoff game in Penn State and Beaver Stadium history. Penn State dominated SMU to advance to the quarterfinal round with a 38-10 victory on Saturday afternoon in chilly Happy Valley.

[autotag]Dominic DeLuca[/autotag] will be the answer to a new Penn State football trivia question. It was DeLuca who scored the first touchdown in Penn State playoff history when he jumped in front of a pass from SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings and returned it nearly uncontested for a 23-yard pick-six in the first quarter. With the Penn State offense still working on thawing out, linebacker [autotag]Tony Rojas[/autotag] gave Penn State a second defensive touchdown in the second quarter with 59-yard pick-six as Jennings was under pressure once again by the defensive front of Penn State.

The offense did eventually get things moving with the running game starting to pick up some steam. Touchdown runs by [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] and [autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag] in the second quarter helped give Penn State a commanding 28-0 lead at halftime. The two running backs ended the day with three combined touchdowns (Allen had a second touchdown run in the fourth quarter to push the Penn State lead to 38-3).

[autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] was not particularly sharp but did complete 13 of 22 passes for 127 yards before getting an early rest in the fourth quarter with things comfortably in hand for the Nittany Lions. [autotag]Ethan Grunkemeyer[/autotag] finished the game under center for Penn State, taking advantage of the opportunity to get some live experience following the departure of Beau Pribula by way of the transfer portal earlier in the week.

It was a relatively quiet afternoon for Penn State’s star tight end Tyler Warren. Warren caught four passes for 33 yards and ran once for six yards. Warren also attempted a pass, but it fell incomplete. Expect Warren to have a bigger role in the next round.

Penn State will now head to the Fiesta Bowl for a quarterfinal round matchup with Boise State, champions of the Mountain West Conference. Penn State has never faced Boise State but has enjoyed some storied success in the Fiesta Bowl. Penn State faces Boise State on Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The winner of that game will face the winner of the quarterfinal-round matchup between Georgia and Notre Dame.

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Rough go for SMU big-money donors, Mustang band

Bad day for SMU at Penn State

Everything was going awry for SmU on Saturday.

The football team was down 14-0 in the first half.

Some of the biggest boosters for the team weren’t able to get to the game on time because their private jets were diverted to Williamsport with the State College airport packed.

And the SMU band might as well have played on a Zoom meeting from Dallas with the way they were placed in Beaver Stadium.

Penn State was about as inhospitable as it gets, sticking the SMU band in the nosebleeds at Beaver Stadium.

To make matters worse, the Mustangs trailed 21-0 in the first half.

SMU’s Kevin Jennings throws second pick-six against Penn State

Penn State’s defense was rolling against Kevin Jennings and SMU

The noise about SMU being in the CFP is getting louder than the folks at Beaver Stadium.

Kevin Jennings of the Mustangs has now thrown two pick-sixes.

Who needs an offense when you have Kevin Jennings throwing passes against Penn State’s defense

Jennings threw a second pick-six in the first half and the Nittany Lions led 14-0 after Tony Rojas’ 59-yard return for a touchdown.

Jennings followed that with an interception in the red zone. Ooof.

Penn State’s Dominic DeLuca with pick-six against SMU

Penn State with a huge defensive play against SMU

Things have not gone SMU’s way in the CFP first-round game on Saturday at Penn State.

First, the Mustangs went for it on fourth-and-short. Kevin Jennings had a chance to run for the first down but opted to throw a pass that went for an incompletion after a hard hit in the Nittany Lion secondary.

Then, Jennings was picked by Dominic DeLuca, who returned it 23 yards for a Penn State touchdown. The Nittany Lions led 7-0.

College Football Playoff: 2025 draft prospects to watch during SMU vs. Penn State

College Football Playoff: 2025 draft prospects the Saints should be watching during SMU vs. Penn State, and how to tune in

The new College Football Playoff format is underway and that means a new way to prepare for the 2025 NFL draft.

For many New Orleans Saints fans, the draft is already the first thing on the mind. Watching top prospects battle it out in a high-pressure situation against other top talent will be a new opportunity.

The first game taking place on Saturday is the SMU Mustangs traveling to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions. There are plenty of players to watch in this one at every level of the draft.

When taking a look at the first round talent in the game, one player sticks out. Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter is someone that gets paired with the Saints in a lot of mock drafts.

Carter was an off-ball linebacker before this past season, but moved to the line with great success. He has 10 sacks already this year and could provide a much-needed boost to that spot of the field for New Orleans.

The top Day 2 prospect to watch would be another Penn State defensive end, this time Dani Dennis-Sutton. Sutton is much more of a traditional end, especially for what the Saints usually gravitate towards.

He is much bigger, but might be too limited as a pass rusher to make a lot of sense for New Orleans. He has flashes, though, and a good playoff performance could go a long way in making teams drool over him.

Closing out the list with a Day 3 prospect, Mustangs offensive weapon Brashard Smith could make sense for the Saints next year.

Smith was a wide receiver for the first three seasons to little success. He expanded his role during this campaign for SMU and the results were much better. In the NFL, he could be moved around both spots and has the athletic ceiling to be dangerous if used correctly.

He had 1,573 yards from scrimmage this year with 18 touchdowns.

How to Watch

This matchup is surprisingly not being broadcast by the usual suspects at ESPN. Instead, it will be aired on TNT on TV and will be available to stream from Sling and Max.

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How to watch Penn State vs. SMU, College Football Playoff TV channel, live stream

Everything you need to know to watch the Penn State Nittany Lions vs. SMU Mustangs in the College football Playoff on Saturday, Dec. 21.

The Penn State Nittany Lions welcome the SMU Mustangs to Beaver Stadium this Saturday for the first round of the College Football Playoff. If you want to catch the action you have been waiting all season to see on TV or live stream, we have the details you desire below.

The Nittany Lions are the fourth-seeded team in the CFP while holding the fifth spot in the US LBM Coaches Poll on the heels of an impressive 11-2 campaign. However, they lost the Big Ten title game to the top-seeded team, the Oregon Ducks.

The Mustangs arrived on the Atlantic Coast Conference scene with a bang in their first season, earning the 10th seed in the CFP while being ranked 12th in the Coaches Poll. Like Penn State, SMU also lost its conference championship game — a 34-31 defeat at the hands of the Clemson Tigers.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Nittany Lions vs. Mustangs on Sling” link=”https://sling-tv.pxf.io/c/50053/2373029/14334?sharedid=usatoday_paidncaa”]

Penn State vs. SMU Week College Football Playoff info

Here’s everything you need to watch the Nittany Lions against the Mustangs.

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 21
  • Where: Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
  • TV channel: TNT
  • Live stream: Sling

It is time to get hyped up for the College Football Playoff!

What time is Penn State vs. SMU?

The Nittany Lions take on the Mustangs at noon ET on Saturday, Dec. 21.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Penn State vs. SMU with Sling” link=”https://sling-tv.pxf.io/c/50053/2373029/14334?sharedid=usatoday_paidncaa”]

Penn State vs. SMU final score predictions

What will the final score of the Penn State-SMU College Football Playoff game be? Our staff calls their shots.

Penn State will host SMU for the first round of the College Football Playoff in the playoff debut for both programs. The runners-up in the Big Ten and ACC are scheduled for a noon kickoff to begin playoff triple header on Saturday, and the whiteout crowd and scene in Happy Valley should be electric as Penn State comes in as a favorite to advance to the Fiesta Bowl and face Boise State in the quarterfinal round. But SMU is not going to be intimidated after running through the ACC in their first season in the power conference. How much trouble will the Mustangs be for the Nittany Lions?

Here are the final score predictions from our staff here at Nittany Lions Wire for Saturday’s first-round matchup.

Shayne: Penn State has had a rough go of it against top 10 teams under James Franklin, but SMU isn’t the same caliber of team that often gives them trouble. This game will likely be closer than the betting odds suggest though, as SMU’s strengths make them a good match for Penn State. Ultimately, Penn State’s talent will be too much to overcome.

Penn State 28, SMU 24

Brad: It’s going to be really cold in Happy Valley, and that is something the Dallas-based team will have to deal with. The matchup to watch in this one is if the Nittany Lions can run on this strong SMU run defense and if Penn State can get after Kevin Jennings to disrupt the offense. They are able to do both, building upon their strong offensive performance in the Big Ten championship game, while also figuring things out on defense to earn their first-ever College Football Playoff victory.

Penn State 28, SMU 14

Charlie: Penn State’s defense hasn’t been its typical turnover generating machine this season, but I think that changes Saturday. SMU does turn the ball over and can hurt themselves with penalties. The Nittany Lions will want to show out after they struggled against Oregon and will make a statement early against the Mustangs’ offense. SMU’s high flying offense won’t be that dynamic and will suffer from short drives. Penn State’s offense led by Drew Allar will show once again that it is a different unit than last year and put up big numbers.

Penn State 34, SMU 20

Kevin: The way the Penn State offense performed against Oregon in the Big Ten championship game was very encouraging to me and tells me this offense is ready for the College Football Playoff. I fully anticipate more dominance from the offense against SMU, and the running game could be an even bigger influence on setting the tone and establishing control as the game wears on. And if the defense doesn’t come out looking to atone for their rough performance against Oregon, I would be stunned. This Penn State defense will be looking to rebound ina big way, and doing so at home should be expected. I’m not calling for a blowout of SMU, but I do think Penn State has this game firmly under control by halftime and throughout the second half.

Penn State 33, SMU 17

ESPN matchup prediction win probability favors Penn State vs. SMU

Here is what odds ESPN’s matchup predictor is giving Penn State this week vs. SMU.

Penn State is preparing for its College Football Playoff debut this week, and the Nittany Lions remain a pretty decent favorite at home against SMU of the ACC. Penn State is widely expected by many to come out of this weekend’s playoff matchup as a winner to setup a trip to the Fiesta Bowl to face Mountain West Conference champion Boise State. But, of course, postseason games are never won on paper. Penn State will have its work cut out for it against a talented SMU offense. But ESPN’s computers do think Penn State has a favorable outcome to look forward to.

ESPN’s win probability for Penn State in this week’s College Football Playoff matchup gives the Nittany Lions a 67.1% chance of advancing to the quarterfinal round of the playoff. The ESPN calculation shows that Penn State has the third-best win probability among home teams in the first round. Texas (80.4% win probability against Clemson) and Notre Dame (70.3% vs. Indiana) each had higher win probabilities against their first-round opponents. Ohio State has a 65.5% win probability against Tennessee.

Penn State is 1-0-1 all-time against SMU, with the most recent meeting coming nearly 50 years ago. This week will mark the second meeting in the postseason between the Nittany Lions and the Mustangs, with the previous meeting coming in the 1948 Cotton Bowl.

Penn State will host SMU on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 12:00 p.m. ET.

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