12 p.m. | TNT
Series: • This is the third meeting all time, with Penn State holding a 1-0-1 advantage in the series. • Penn State took the matchup in 1978 at home, while the two programs tied 13-13 in the 1947 Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
SMU Mustangs Notes
SETTING THE SCENE
• Eleventh-seeded SMU is set to make its College Football Playoff debut when it faces six-seed Penn State at Beaver Stadium on Saturday at 11 a.m. on TNT. • The Mustangs earned their first ever bid to the CFP by earning an at-large selection and the 11th seed during the playoff’s first year with a 12-team format. • SMU enters the contest at 11-2 and ranked No. 10 in the nation. The Mustangs have rose as high as seventh this season, the program’s highest ranking since 1985. • SMU has won its last 10 road games, second-longest active streak in all of the FBS behind only fifth-seeded Texas. • The Mustangs have forced at least one turnover in nine of the past 12 games and in 19 of the past 23 contests. • SMU orchestrated a furious fourth-quarter comeback during the ACC Championship versus Clemson to tie the game with under a minute remaining in the game. However, the Tigers nailed an ACC Championship Game-record 56-yard field goal as time expired to take the conference crown. • SMU’s 8-0 season in conference play is a first for a team jumping into a Power-4/5 conference from a Group of Five in their first season since 1978. Of those teams, only Louisville (2014) finished with a winning conference record, going 5-3 in ACC play.
QUICK HITS
• SMU’s defense has continued to force turnovers this year, ranking 26th in the country with 21 turnovers gained, along with being fifth in defensive touchdowns with four. • The Mustangs have had at least seven receivers catch a pass in 27 of the past 30 games. • Brashard Smith has made an impact in 2024, ranking eighth in all-purpose yards per game with 139.54 and 11th in total touchdowns (18), resulting in being named a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award. Smith has also scored 112 points this season, which ranks 15th in the nation. The senior is just 29 yards shy of breaking the SMU single-season all-purpose yards record. • Collin Rogers has tallied 23 field goals this season, which is third in the nation. He leads the nation in made field goals over 50 yards with seven, one shy of the NCAA single season record of eight set by Tennessee’s Fuad Reveiz in 1982, leading to being selected as a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, he also was named a First Team All-America by Sports Illustrated. • Kevin Jennings sits 10th nationally in passing yards per attempt (8.87) and 13th in passing efficiency (156.9). • Jennings has the highest passer efficiency rating in conference games only in the ACC at 171.5. • SMU’s 54 wins in the last six years are the most by any FBS Texas team. In addition, the Mustangs have won 24 of those on the road, tops for any team in the state since 2019. • The Mustangs are 20-3 in their last 23 games, and 19-2 in their last 21 regular-season contests. • Rhett Lashlee boasts a 21-3 conference record in his career. His 21-3 record in his first 24 league games on the Hilltop is the best in SMU history. • SMU has posted a record of 26-2 during Lashlee’s three seasons in charge when they score 30 or more points in a game.
ABOUT THE Nittany Lions
• Penn State enters the game at 11-2 overall and 8-1 in the Big 10. • The Nittany Lions’ comeback fell short during the Big 10 Championship against top-ranked Oregon, losing 45-37. • PSU is 1-2 against ranked opponents this season, with the win coming over No. 19 Illinois in Happy Valley on Sept. 28
LEVELED UP
• The Mustangs continue to be a dominant force in conference games for a second straight season. • SMU won conference games by a score of 37.62-18.25, an average of 19.37. • The 19.37 average margin of victory is the third highest for any P4 team in the country, behind Indiana (23.11) and Oregon (20.0) • Only the Ducks and the Mustangs went unbeaten in conference play amongst P4 teams in 2024.
SAME PONY, NEW EXPRESS
• The Mustangs have put together one of the best two-seasons run in the program’s history in 2023 and 2024. • For the first time ever, the Mustangs have put together back-to-back seasons with at least 11 wins. • During the run, SMU went a perfect 16-0 in conference play in two different conferences (AAC in 2023 and ACC in 2024).
PLAYOFFS, WE’RE TALKING PLAYOFFS
• SMU made its debut in the first set of the 2024 CFP rankings on Nov. 6, coming in at No. 13. • The Mustangs were ranked 10th in the final edition of the CFP rankings, good enough to earn an at-large bid to mark the program’s first ever appearance in the CFP.
SMITH ARMY KNIFE
• Running back Brashard Smith has been a weapon in multiple offensive facets so far this season, helping him being named a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award. • The Richmond Heights, Florida, native has racked up 1,270 yards on the ground along with 303 yards receiving, making him one of just two FBS players with 1,200+ rushing and 300+ receiving yards on the season. • Smith also has 243 kickoff return yards, making him the only player in the FBS with 1,100+ rushing, 250+ receiving and 200+ kickoff return yards this year. • Smith has posted a 90.4 offensive grade by PFF on the season, the 12th highest by any offensive player amongst all Power conference teams (70 teams) (Min 200 snaps). • Smith has 1,814 all-purpose yards on the year, which rank second most in a single season in program history. He is just 29 yards shy of breaking the SMU single-season all-purpose yards record. • Thanks to his success this season, Smith has been named an All-American for all purpose by the AP and AFCA, along with being named First Team All-ACC as a running back. • Smith eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards on the season against Boston College, making him the 12th player in program history to rush for 1,000 in a single season.
Back to the future
• SMU has posted back-to-back double-digit win seasons for the first time since the 1983 (10-2) and 1984 (10-2) seasons. • The result has led to being getting up to eighth and seventh in the AP and Coaches Polls, the highest since 1985, which leads to some interesting tidbits. • The last time the Mustangs were in the top 10 of the AP poll, the no. 1 song in America was the “Miami Vice” theme. • The cost for a gallon of gas was 83 cents. • The No. 1 movie at the time in November was Rocky IV. • Ronald Reagan was the President of the United States.
Penn State Nittany Lions Notes
INSIDE THE GAME
NO. 6 SEED PENN STATE MEETS NO. 11 SEED SMU IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF FIRST ROUND
• OPENING KICK:
No. 6 seed Penn State takes on No. 11 seed SMU in a College Football Playoff First Round game at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, December 21. Kickoff is set for noon on TNT/MAX.
• THE OPPOSITION:
SMU enters the College Football Playoff as the No. 11 seed with an 11-2 overall record. The Mustangs went 8-0 in the ACC and fell 34-31 against Clemson in the ACC Championship. Kevin Jennings threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns, while adding a rushing touchdown. Brashard Smith added 113 rushing yards.
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
• SMU is 11-2 overall and went 8-0 in the ACC. • In their first season as a member of the ACC, the Mustangs reached the conference championship game, falling 34-31 against Clemson. • SMU rallied back from a 24-7 halftime deficit to tie the game at 31-31 with 16 seconds left. • Kevin Jennings threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns, while adding a rushing touchdown. • SMU ranks sixth in the country in scoring offense (38.5) and 20th in total offense (443.1). • Jennings has completed 66 percent of his passes for 3,050 yards and 22 touchdowns, while adding five rushing scores. • RB Brashard Smith, an AFCA All-America second-team and All-ACC first-team selection, owns 1,270 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. • The Mustangs rank 28th in the country in scoring defense (20.8), 28th in total defense (326.1) and fourth in rushing defense (93.4). • They are also fifth in the nation with five defensive touchdowns and 11th in sacks per game (3.08). • DT Jared Harrison-Hunte and S Isaiah Nwokobia were tabbed firstteam All-ACC. • Harrison-Hunte owns eight tackles for loss and six sacks this season. • Nwokobia has tallied 96 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions and three pass breakups. • LB Kobe Wilson leads the team with 110 tackles to go with six tackles for loss and three sacks.
PENN STATE EARNS 54TH POSTSEASON APPEARANCE
• Penn State is making its 54th postseason appearance, including bowl and playoff appearances, tied-ninth all-time. • Head Coach James Franklin has guided his teams to a postseason appearance 13 times (3 at Vanderbilt; 10 at Penn State). • Penn State’s 31 bowl victories are tied-fourth nationally and lead all Big Ten schools. • The Nittany Lions’ 60.4 winning percentage in bowl games (31- 20-2 record) is No. 9 nationally among teams with at least 20 bowl appearances. • Penn State has played in 16 different bowl games and has played in each of the New Year’s Six bowls. • Penn State made its first postseason appearance in 1923 when it traveled across the country to face USC in the Rose Bowl Game to cap off the 1922 season.
ABOUT THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF
• Penn State will make its first ever appearance in the College Football Playoff. • The Nittany Lions are the No. 6 seed, set to host No. 11 seed SMU. • This is the first year of the 12-team playoff after being a four-team playoff since 2014. • Penn State joins Texas, Notre Dame and Ohio State as hosts in the first round. • The winner of the Penn State-SMU game will advance to play No. 3 seed Boise State in the CFP quarterfinal played as the Fiesta Bowl.
