Dec 23, 2024
Penn State running back Kaytron Allen (13) scores a touchdown during the second half against SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)
By Neil Rudel
nrudel@altoonamirror.com
UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State’s first-round victory over SMU in the College Football Playoff on Saturday may have proven more about the Mustangs than it did about the Nittany Lions.
As was the case in Notre Dame’s win over Indiana on Friday night, one team showed it’s a national championship contender, and the other didn’t.
The Mustangs threw three interceptions in the first half — two were returned for touchdowns — as Penn State rolled to an easy 38-10 win before 106,013 at Beaver Stadium.
Penn State’s defensive effort was well timed because its offense and special teams did not have their best day.
“Our defense played lights out,” a jubilant James Franklin, who won his 100th game as the Lions’ coach, said and added, “it was the best half of defense” he could recall.
The defense was so good that it bailed out a highly-questionable call by Franklin, who unsuccessfully went for a fourth-and-1 from the Lions’ own 19 with 14-0 lead in the second quarter.
“I told the guys we were going to call the game aggressively,” Franklin said in explanation. “Don’t play on your heels; play on your toes. We get fourth-and-one, I can’t say that all week long and then not do it. When you pick it up, it’s a great call. When you don’t pick it up, it’s a bad call.”
He also said, “I’d call it again.”
Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki said, “We talk about playing to win as opposed to playing not to lose.”
Maybe it was calculated that SMU wasn’t a serious threat, and Franklin wanted to put the Mustangs away as soon as possible.
Either way, his team had his back as the decision was followed by Dom DeLuca’s second interception at the PSU 11 that rejected the Mustangs’ deepest advance.
SMU never recovered, fell behind 28-0 at halftime, and the Lions were soon wearing Fiesta Bowl hats.
An offense that came in ranked No. 6 nationally, averaging 39.9 points per game, SMU was limited to a field goal before a late touchdown.
The Mustangs were overpowered up front, giving up 11 tackles for loss.
The quality of competition was one factor, but Penn State’s defense also came in determined to improve on the suspect performance it showed against Oregon in the Big Ten championship game two weeks ago.
“The defense got us going,” quarterback Drew Allar said. “To be up 14-0 when the offense hadn’t done anything was huge. They’ve had our backs all year.”
The offense, particularly the run game, got going and wore down the Mustangs.
“In this (cold) weather, you need to win up front,” Kotelnicki said.
He also emphasized that in “playoff football,” defense and run games travel.
Defensive tackle D’Von J-Thomas, a senior leader, said, “It was our mentality of not letting the moment define us but define the moment.”
Does the first-round domination mean the Lions are rolling toward a national championship? Not quite yet.
Because of a favorable bracket, which now matches the Lions with Boise State and Heisman Trophy runnerup Ashton Jeanty in the Fiesta Bowl, the answer on how good Penn State is might not be available until Jan. 9 and a possible Orange Bowl matchup with the Notre Dame-Georgia winner.
The 12-team playoff benefited Penn State with inclusion, but it also exposed the field for being too large. Please remember that when people start lobbying for an even bigger field.
SMU coach Rhett Lashlee left sure of one thing: “(Penn State) is going to be a hard out for Boise and whoever else gets to play them.”
The Lions are a team that believes and one that rallied around their coach Saturday. They picked him up after his failed gamble and hoisted him in the locker room afterward to celebrate his career milestone.
“Coach Franklin gets a lot of criticism that’s undeserved, and he’s done a lot more than people give him credit for,” Allar said. “Obviously, winning his 100th game, it’s special to be a part of that.”
Franklin deflected the personal accolade, saying he only wants success for the players, and he thanked the fans for their support on a cold day.
“The turnout was unbelievable, and the environment was phenomenal,” he said. “It made a huge difference.”
And one that helped inch the Nittany Lions closer their elite goals.
Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.
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