No. 6 Penn State scored a pair of defensive touchdowns and made a huge College Football Playoff statement with a 38-10 win against No. 11 SMU in the first round.
The Nittany Lions advance to the quarterfinals in the Fiesta Bowl against No. 3 Boise State and star running back Ashton Jeanty.
Penn State took a 28-0 lead into halftime thanks to the two defensive scores off interceptions and another touchdown on a short field with under two minutes left in the second quarter. Facing off against one of the top scoring offenses in the Bowl Subdivision, the Nittany Lions’ defense allowed only 252 yards and 1.6 yards per carry.
SMU was held out of the end zone until a touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter. The Mustangs had scored at least 28 points in all but one game during the regular season.
Combined with Friday night’s convincing win for No. 7 Notre Dame against No. 10 Indiana, this blowout will feed into the brewing controversy over the selection committee’s decision to choose the Hoosiers and Mustangs over three-loss SEC teams in Alabama, Mississippi and South Carolina.
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After failing to secure wins against Ohio State and Oregon during the regular season, the 28-point victory supports the Nittany Lions’ case for being seen as one of the top contenders for the national championship.
Offensively, however, the Nittany Lions struggled to get things going through the air behind quarterback Drew Allar. The junior went 13 of 22 attempts for 127 yards but was effective on third down by extending plays with his mobility.
With Allar struggling to deliver explosive plays through the air, Penn State leaned on an elite defense and a strong running game. Led by Nicholas Singleton’s game-high 90 yards and a touchdown, the Nittany Lions ran for 189 yards on 40 carries, averaging 4.7 yards per touch. Kaytron Allen added 70 yards and a pair of scores.
As expected, SMU was unable to handle All-America defensive end Abdul Carter and the Penn State pass rush.
After an often brilliant year capped by a fourth quarter comeback that came up just short against Clemson in the ACC championship game, SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings went 20 of 36 for 195 yards, an average of 5.4 yards per attempt, with one touchdown and three interceptions.
The only team in the FBS with more than three completions of 70 or more yards during the regular season, the Mustangs’ longest completion on Saturday went for 28 yards.