Penn State Battles SMU in Thrilling College Football Playoff Opener
After losing in the Big Ten Championship against Oregon, Penn State fell to the sixth seed in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. SMU fell to Clemson in the ACC Championship, falling to the 11 seed in this year's playoffs. The teams will battle it out for a chance to take on Boise State in the second round. The game takes place at Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley at noon on Saturday.
In the first season in the ACC for SMU, they finished with a record of 11-2, with those two losses coming against Clemson and a non-conference matchup against BYU. Penn State also finished 11-2 in the Big Ten, with their losses coming against Ohio State and Oregon. The winner of the game will take on Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty and Boise State the following week. Both teams will be making their first appearances in the College Football Playoff.
SMU has a high-power offense led by quarterback Kevin Jennings, a versatile quarterback who can not only throw the ball downfield but also take off and run the ball. With two talented wide receivers in Roderick Daniels and Keyshawn Smith, Penn State’s secondary will need to be at the top of their game to shut them down. Daniels led the team in receptions and receiving yards with 38 receptions and 599 receiving yards, while Smith led the team in receiving touchdowns with five. SMU is truly a dual-threat offense, with running back Brashard Smith rushing for 1,270 yards from scrimmage this season. Abdul Carter and Penn State’s defense has another explosive offense they want to stop.
Penn State’s offense has two main parts, with the occasional trick play. Both running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton rushed for over 800 yards and over five touchdowns each. Both backs are strong backs, capable of going for a long rush. Quarterback Drew Allar, while not known for rushing, is also not afraid to take off if needed. The most impactful part of the Penn State offense is tight end Tyler Warren. Warren finished the season with 88 receptions for 1,062 receiving yards, 191 rushing yards, 35 passing yards, and a touchdown. If SMU wants to shut down the Penn State offense, they will need to stop the run and shut down Warren.
James Franklin and the Penn State staff are calling for a Whiteout on Saturday, even though the game kicks off at noon. The temperature for kickoff is expected to be around 25 degrees, with a feel-like temperature of around 12 degrees. Both teams are looking for their first playoff win, with the conditions heavily favoring Penn State, can SMU overcome the Whiteout conditions? Penn State and SMU kick off at noon on Saturday and can be watched on TNT and Max.
