Nittany Lions Corral Mustangs, Advance to CFP Quarterfinals

Photo by Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

On a sunny day with the temperature hovering around 25 degrees in Happy Valley, the No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions (12-2) toppled the No. 10 SMU Mustangs (11-3). The final score was 38-10. Doomed by 3 first-half interceptions, the Mustangs' season came to an end. Penn State advances to the Fiesta Bowl to take on the No. 9 Boise State Broncos (12-1).

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The Nittany Lions turned in a solid all-around performance, outrushing SMU by 132 yards. But, the key to the game was the opportunistic Penn State defense, which won the turnover battle and delivered the first two scores of the contest.

Game Summary

The Mustangs' defense held the Nittany Lions to a three-and-out on the game's initial possession. After Penn State punted, SMU drove deep into PSU territory but failed to convert on a fourth down, turning the ball over. However, the Southern Methodist defense stiffened, forcing Penn State to punt for the second time in the first quarter.

The Nittany Lions opened the scoring in the game when redshirt junior linebacker Dominic DeLuca intercepted an off-target throw by SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings and returned it for a touchdown midway through the first quarter.

While the SMU defense kept the Nittany Lions offense in check and SMU's offense moved the ball reasonably well, another errant Jennings pass early in the second quarter gave Penn State a 14-0 lead when sophomore LB Tony Rojas picked off the ball and returned it 59 yards for a TD.

Photo by Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Mustangs' defense continued to give the team opportunities, stopping Penn State on a questionable decision by coach James Franklin to seek a fourth-down conversion inside the Nittany Lions' own 30-yard line. Taking over, SMU moved down inside the 10-yard line. However, Jennings continued to flounder, throwing his third interception, when DeLuca made a skillful play, tipping the ball up in the air, before corralling it himself.

Penn State then marched 75 yards down the field, scoring its first offensive TD on a 25-yard run by star running back Kaytron Allen, to extend the lead to 21-0.

Desperate to score before halftime, SMU attempted a fourth-down conversion near midfield but came up short, turning the ball over again. The Nittany Lions then drove downfield and took a commanding 28-0 lead into intermission after a 1-yard TD run by standout RB Nicholas Singleton.

The Mustangs made a field goal early in the third quarter for their first score, but Penn State answered with an FG of its own, making the score 31-3 in the middle of the quarter. Neither team scored in the remainder of the period, and the Nittany Lions took an insurmountable 28-point lead into the final stanza.

Early in the fourth quarter, Penn State brought in backup QB Ethan Grunkemeyer to replace Allar.

The Mustangs scored a TD in garbage time when Jennings connected with wide receiver Roderick Daniels Jr. to make the final score 38-10.

Nittany Lions Capitalize on Turnovers

Jennings' 3 first-half INTs were pivotal. In the words of TNT broadcasters, they were "catastrophic" for the Mustangs. Indeed, the turnovers put the Ponies behind the eight-ball, forcing them to scramble and take risks against a sound and solid Penn State team that made its opponent pay for its errors.

A review of the game stats reveals the decisive role played by the 3 early SMU turnovers: SMU made three more first downs than Penn State, and the Nittany Lions only outgained the Mustangs by 325-252 yards. Time of possession was roughly equal. Jennings and the Mustangs simply dug themselves a hole they could not get out of.

Next Up

While the Mustangs season is over, the Nittany Lions move on to a matchup with Boise State in the CFP quarterfinals. That game, the Fiesta Bowl, will kick off at 7:30 p.m. EST on Dec. 31 at State Farm Stadium, in Glendale, Ariz., and is scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN.