The first-round matchup of the College Football Playoff will feature the SMU Mustangs and the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Penn State Nittany Lions 11-2 vs. SMU Mustangs 11-2
Date: Saturday, December 21
Time: 12:00 p.m. EST
TV Channel: TNT/MAX
Location: Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA
Line: Penn State -9.0 / O/U: 53.5
2024 Team Stats
Penn State:
2024 Offense (Big Ten Rank) —
Total Yards: 448.6 (2)
Passing Yards: 246.5 (7)
Rushing Yards: 202.2 (1)
2024 Defense (Big Ten Rank) —
Total Yards Allowed: 282.1 (3)
Passing Yards Allowed: 178.5 (7)
Rushing Yards Allowed: 103.6 (5)
2024 Points Scored: 33.6 (4)
2024 Points Allowed: 16.4 (3)
2024 Ranking: 6
SMU:
2024 Offense (ACC Rank) —
Total Yards: 443.1 (5)
Passing Yards: 267.0 (6)
Rushing Yards: 176.1 (8)
2024 Defense (ACC Rank) —
Total Yards Allowed: 326.1 (2)
Passing Yards Allowed: 232.7 (10)
Rushing Yards Allowed: 93.4 (1)
2024 Points Scored: 38.5 (2)
2024 Points Allowed: 20.8 (1)
2024 Ranking: 11
Series History/All-Time Records
All-time head-to-head record: Penn State Leads 1-0-1
Current streak: Penn State has won one straight
Last Penn State win: 9/23/1978 (26-21)
Last SMU win: N/A
2024 Player Stats
Penn State
Passing: Drew Allar – 224-324, 2894 yards, 21-7 (TD-INT)
Rushing: Nicholas Singleton – 131 ATT, 838 YDS, 7 TD
Receiving: Tyler Warren – 88 REC, 1062 YDS, 6 TD
Tackles: Jaylen Reed – 79 (43-36)
Sacks: Abdul Carter – 10.0
Interceptions: Jaylen Reed – 3
SMU
Passing: Kevin Jennings – 227-344, 3050 yards, 22-8 (TD-INT)
Rushing: Brashard Smith – 217 ATT, 1270 YDS, 14 TD
Receiving: Roderick Daniels Jr. – 38 REC, 599 YDS, 3 TD
Tackles: Kobe Wilson – 110 (50-60)
Sacks: Jahfari Harvey – 7.0
Interceptions: Ahmaad Moses – 3
Players To Watch:
Penn State: Quarterback – Drew Allar – Junior
Allar hasn’t played badly this season, he even had Penn State in the game against Oregon for the Big Ten Championship despite throwing two interceptions. Now in SMU, he faces a pass defense that ranks tenth in the ACC, he will look to find his shiny weapon in Tyler Warren to make explosive plays.
SMU: Quarterback – Kevin Jennings – Sophomore
Jennings will face the seventh-ranked Big Ten pass defense, he’s looked great this season. In the ACC Championship against Clemson, he threw for 304 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He has thrown for over 250 yards in every game since September 28th, he can’t afford a game like he had against Duke despite the win he threw three interceptions, he needs to look like he did against Pittsburgh the week after Duke when he didn’t turn the ball over and threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns.
