Kirk Herbstreit is impressed with Penn State’s first-half performance against SMU. The Nittany Lions forced three turnovers and took a 28-0 lead into halftime.

The Mustangs were unable to take advantage of the favorable field position in the first half and now the turnovers have put the team in a huge hole. Kevin Jennings threw for 77 yards with three interceptions in the first half, and two of those INTs were pick-6s.

Herbstreit mentioned that not only the weather, but also the atmosphere and crowd at Happy Valley would present a challenge for the Mustangs.

“It’s not these guys’ fault – they’re just not ready for it!” said Herbstreit. “Unfortunately, this game is about to get ugly!”

Entering this game, the Mustangs were ranked No. 20 nationally in total offense and No. 6 in offensive rating. The Mustangs aren’t used to being blanked in the first half, and now the offense will have to play the game of its life to get out of this hole.

If you ignore the turnovers, the box score for the Mustangs doesn’t look so bad. At halftime, the Nittany Lions had 216 yards of total offense while the Mustangs had 129 yards. However, the Nittany Lions didn’t turn the ball over and were much better at converting third downs.

The Nittany Lions will look to keep their foot on the gas pedal in the second half. With a win, the team will face Boise State in the quarterfinals.

Bryce Lazenby covers college football for Saturday Down South. The Nashville native has appeared on FanSided, Dimers and The Leaf-Chronicle, among others.