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CFP players to watch, key to the game: SMU at Penn State

nick bromberg
Senior writer
·3 min read

It's an ACC vs. Big Ten matchup to kick off the first of three games on Saturday. SMU got into the College Football Playoff over Alabama as the Crimson Tide lost three regular season games.

[More CFP: Tennessee at OSU | Indiana at Notre Dame | Clemson at Texas]

Time: Noon ET | TV: TNT | Line: Penn State -8.5 | Total: 54.5

SMU: The Mustangs were the last at-large team to make the field after their ACC title game loss to Clemson. SMU trailed 31-14 late in the third quarter before scoring 17 straight points to tie the game with 16 seconds to go. Yet Clemson got the win with a 56-yard field goal as time expired.

SMU went 9-0 in conference play to get to the title game in its first year in the ACC. The Mustangs avoided regular season games against Clemson, Miami and Syracuse while surviving a six-turnover performance to escape with a win at Duke.

Penn State: The Nittany Lions’ two losses came to the two best teams on their schedule. Penn State was 7-0 before the offense sputtered in a 20-13 home loss to Ohio State. It was a familiar scene for PSU fans as the team’s only TD came on a pick-6. The offense was much, much better in the Big Ten title game against Oregon, but the defense couldn’t pull its weight in a 45-37 loss to the Ducks.

SMU’s Kevin Jennings didn’t open the season as the team’s starter. He replaced Preston Stone in the team’s loss to BYU on Sept. 6 and hasn’t relinquished the job. Jennings has completed 66% of his passes for 3,050 yards and 22 TDs while also rushing for 379 yards and five scores.

PSU QB Drew Allar is 224-of-324 passing for 2,894 yards and 21 TDs and has also rushed for six scores. His completion percentage is up nearly 10 points from 2023 and he’s averaging two more yards per pass than he did a season ago. Penn State has been running a package of plays per game for No. 2 QB Beau Pribula, but Pribula is now in the transfer portal as Allar has said he’s returning for the 2025 season.

SMU RB Brashard Smith: The Miami transfer was primarily a returner and receiver in his three seasons with the Hurricanes. In Dallas, he’s been a standout running back. After rushing just 18 times at Miami, Smith has 217 carries for 1,270 yards and 14 TDs. He’s also been a key part of the passing game with 35 catches for 303 yards and four scores. Smith has rushed for over 100 yards in seven games this season and is SMU’s clear No. 1 rushing option. No. 2 RB LJ Johnson Jr. has just 68 carries for 277 yards.

Penn State RB Nicholas Singleton: Singleton was dynamic in the Big Ten title game. He rushed 10 times for 105 yards and had four catches for 43 yards and a score in the loss. Singleton has dealt with a lower-body injury this season and had just 20 carries across three games at the start of November. But he’s run the ball 36 times over the past three games and looks fully healthy. For the season, Singleton has rushed 131 times for 838 yards and seven scores while adding five receiving TDs.

SMU has a chance to pull the upset if it can avoid committing turnovers. The Mustangs have turned the ball over 21 times this season and have five games with at least two turnovers. A Jennings fumble on the first drive against Clemson led to a TD as Clemson built a 21-7 lead. SMU is even in turnover differential this season despite being 11-2. Penn State, meanwhile, ranks 19th in the country and averages less than one turnover per game.