STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Dominic DeLuca and Tony Rojas returned interceptions for touchdowns and Penn State played error-prone SMU in the opening round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday and won 38-10.

The sixth-seeded Nittany Lions (12-2) took on fourth-seeded Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve by forcing Mustangs quarterback Kevin Jennings into three turnovers, including two poorly thrown first-half floaters by DeLuca and Rojas converted into pick-sixes that galvanized the white crowd at wintry Beaver Stadium and galvanized SMU (11-3). it never recovered.

Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen battled for points for the Nittany Lions. Drew Allar completed 13 of 22 passes for 127 yards while playing every major snap after backup Beau Pribula — who occasionally and effectively played Allar throughout the year — entered the transfer portal earlier this week.

Jennings, whose electrifying play fueled SMU’s undefeated sprint through the ACC in the regular season, finished the game 20 of 36 for 195 yards with a late touchdown and three picks. He started the day by missing a wide-open tight end Matthew Hibner at the goal line, ending the Mustangs’ promising first possession, and things only got worse from there.

His flip to Brashard Smith on SMU’s second drive sailed over the running back’s head and into the arms of the waiting DeLuca, who ran 23 yards to the end zone to give Penn State the lead. Early in the second quarter, Jennings scrambled to his right and threw against his body into triple coverage. Rojas grabbed the ball and rushed 59 yards to give the Nittany Lions a 14-0 lead they never came close to squandering.

The defense’s early attack gave Allar and Penn State’s running game time to settle down. Allen capped a nine-play, 75-yard drive with a 25-yard touchdown dash to make it 21-0. Singleton shot over the goal from a yard away toward the end of the first half to make the score 28-0.

And unlike the ACC title game against Clemson — when the Mustangs rallied from a 17-point second-half deficit to tie the score before faltering on the final snap — there would be no rebound this time.

The last two quarters were above all an opportunity for the more than 106,000 spectators who, in temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius and a fairly steady breeze, were able to enjoy the victory in a big game that hasn’t happened quite as often this year fans would have liked James Franklin’s largely successful 11-year reign.

Now that one test has been passed, another big test awaits you in the desert on the last day of 2024.

Takeaways

SMU: Just like 10th-seeded Indiana on Friday, the Mustangs didn’t do much to validate the CFP selection committee’s decision to pit them against bluebloods Alabama and Miami. SMU’s historic first season in the ACC after moving from American Athletic ended with a disappointing bang.

Penn State: The defense rebounded from a shaky performance in the Big Ten title game against Oregon by throttling an offense that averaged 38.5 points and 443 yards per game.