Twelve points through interceptions, a set of butterfingers and an ugly goose egg in the box score.

Overall, the first half was brutal for SMU.

The 10th-ranked Mustangs, facing the No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday in State College, Pa., had little room for error.

However, their first half was full of them.

As the teams headed to their locker rooms in Game 2 of the expanded College Football Playoff, Penn State led 28-0.

The Lions’ offense was good, not great, and while quarterback Drew Allar did enough, Penn State’s MVP might have been the opposing quarterback in the first half.

All season long, the 11-2 Mustangs lived and died by the play of their sophomore signal-caller Kevin Jennings.

On Saturday, they fought for their lives at Beaver Stadium.

Things seemed to happen a little too quickly for Jennings, who completed 9 of 19 passes and threw three interceptions.

But the sophomore didn’t get much help from his receivers either.

The Mustang offense got off to an inauspicious start when their first drive of the game missed an actual touchdown in the end zone.

Jennings faced a fourth-and-1 from Penn State’s 19-yard line as the Mustangs set up a play-action pass.

The quarterback had a clear path to the marker and could have easily secured the first down with his legs, but instead chose to make a pass on the run.

His throw was a little off balance and wide receiver Matthew Hibner, who should have had plenty of room to catch the ball and score, had to turn into an oncoming defender.

The hit sent the ball out of control and the Mustangs came away empty-handed.

Jennings’ second drive of the game ended in a pick-six, as did his fourth.

The quarterback threw a third interception on his fifth drive, but Penn State’s Dominic DeLuca returned it, his second of the day, for just 14 yards.