Penn State is tasked with facing a top-10 opponent for the third time this season. But this time is different.
The Nittany Lions hosted No. 4 Ohio State in November and faced No. 1 Oregon in the Big Ten championship on Dec. 7. This week, No. 10 SMU will visit Happy Valley for both teams’ first-ever College Football Playoff game.
Although Penn State lost to Ohio State and Oregon by a combined 15 points, it still clinched a home playoff game. But should the Nittany Lions fall to the Mustangs, their 2024 season is over.
“We’re taking it as potentially our last rodeo, so we’re leaving everything out there,” defensive tackle Zane Durant said. “I mean going tired, any hurt, pain, injury, playing through everything because you don’t know what’s going to happen next.”
Penn State is favored by more than a touchdown against SMU with home-field advantage in projected blistering cold conditions. However, Franklin-led teams have historically struggled against top-10 opponents no matter the conditions.
Since Franklin took over the Nittany Lions in 2014, he is 3-19 against top-10 opponents and 3-24 dating back to his days at Vanderbilt. Two of Franklin’s wins came eight years ago against No. 2 Ohio State and No. 6 Wisconsin. The other was against No. 8 Utah in the 2022 Rose Bowl.
On the other hand, while Franklin’s top-10 record is unappealing, his record as a favorite is not. Since 2022, Penn State is 32-1 when favored, with the lone loss coming against No. 11 Ole Miss in the 2023 Peach Bowl. But as an underdog, the Nittany Lions are 0-6, with each loss against a top-10 opponent.
“It’s going to be a challenge, and we’re looking forward to it, and the guys have embraced it,” Franklin said. “We’re going to need this place rocking on Saturday. Obviously, a different situation at this time of the year and having a home game, which we appreciate.”
Reining in SMU’s speedy offense
Penn State will count on Beaver Stadium to derail one of the most prolific offenses in the nation: SMU boasts the sixth-best scoring offense in the FBS and is ranked top 30 in passing and top 50 in rushing. The numbers are comparable to No. 1 Oregon’s high-powered attack, which ranks top 20 in passing and top 60 in rushing.
The Ducks gashed the Nittany Lions’ defense two weeks ago to the tune of 45 points and 469 yards. Dillion Gabriel and Tez Johnson connected 11 times for 181 yards and one score, and running backs Jordan James and Noah Whittington combined for 169 yards as James found the end zone twice.
“We didn’t play to our standard,” Penn State’s defensive coordinator Tom Allen said.
It was an uncharacteristic performance from one of the nation’s top defenses. Oregon’s high-tempo offense led by the elusive Gabriel and the speedy Johnson overwhelmed Penn State. So much so that linebacker Kobe King threw up in the end zone before the Ducks scored their second touchdown in the first quarter.
“I’m sure teams will watch that and try to go tempo on us, but we’ve adjusted, and we’ve adjusted well,” defensive tackle Dvon J-Thomas said. “I think coach Allen has done an incredible job getting us prepared for anything they may throw at us from having watched the Oregon game or the Ohio State game.”
Like Oregon, SMU has speed on its offense. Quarterback Kevin Jennings is a threat with his arm and his legs. The redshirt sophomore has 3,050 yards and 22 touchdowns through the air and another 379 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
“Sometimes you get [mobile] guys, and they can be not as accurate of a passer,” Allen said. “He’s very accurate, especially on the move, and I think that’s what sticks out to me.”
Mustangs running back Brashard Smith is another speed threat. The former Miami wide receiver moved to the backfield this season and racked up 1,270 yards and 14 touchdowns while also catching a career-high 35 receptions with 303 yards and four touchdowns.
“He’s definitely a speedy guy. He’s a smaller back, but he’s definitely one of the best backs in the country,” King said.
Despite Penn State’s struggles to slow down Oregon two weeks ago, King is confident he can keep up with SMU’s speed because he practices against halfback Nicholas Singleton every week.
“[Singleton’s] fast. I don’t think I’ve seen any back in this country with his speed,” King said. “So, I’ve definitely been prepared since spring ball to cover those guys.”
Happy to be home
Fortunately for Allen’s unit, the defense may have some help slowing down the speedy Mustangs. According to AccuWeather, the temperature in State College will be a high of 29 degrees and a low of 15 degrees on Saturday.
“My first cold game, I was struggling, so I kind of got used to it,” said Orlando native Durant. “It’s going to hurt regardless. It’s kind of a mental change you’ve got to get used to. The first time you go into it, you’re not aware of that.”
The temperatures may slow the team from Dallas, but can the Nittany Lions prevent the same from happening to them?
“You’ve seen us do wet ball drills and stuff like that for the cold, so it’s about knowing that we prepare for this stuff all the time,” offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki said. “We’re fortunate enough to have a home game, so absolutely it’s an advantage. It’s hard to mimic what you see outside right now.”
Not only will it be the coldest game either team has played this season, but it will also be an official White Out game for Penn State. It will be the third time this season—counting the “White Out energy” game against Illinois in September—that more than 107,000 fans all dressed in white will pack into Beaver Stadium.
“Having a home game, I think is huge for a ton of reasons,” Franklin said. “Obviously, home-field advantage and for the Happy Valley community. Should be a win-win for everybody.”
How much will Penn State miss Beau Pribula?
Unlike the defense, Penn State’s offense had one of its best games of the season in the Big Ten championship. Kotelnicki’s group scored 37 points and outgained the Ducks, 518 total yards to 469.
Singleton and Kaytron Allen combined for a season-high 229 rushing yards, and each back scored once. Mackey Award-winning tight end Tyler Warren had seven catches for 84 yards, and Drew Allar threw for 226 yards and three touchdowns, also running the ball five times for 54 yards and a score.
“I think Allen and Singleton are both back healthier than they’ve been in a while. And I thought our offensive line and tight ends did a really good job of getting a hat on a hat and straining,” Franklin said. “I also think some of the quarterback run stuff that we’re doing to keep people honest; I think that was a factor in the game. And Warren’s role in that as well.”
However, Penn State will not have one of its dynamic playmakers against SMU or beyond. Backup quarterback Beau Pribula has been featured in almost every game this season as an extension of the run game, but the redshirt sophomore entered the transfer portal Sunday and announced he’d sit out the remainder of the playoff in what he called “an impossible decision” due to the format of the college football calendar.
“We’ve got problems in college football. And I can give you my word: Beau Pribula did not want to leave our program, and he did not want to leave our program until the end of the season,” Franklin said.
Losing Pribula removes a true dual-threat option for the offense. Allar and even Warren have shown they can carry the ball, but Pribula was the key to keeping defenses honest, something Kotelnicki is tasked with replacing against the nation’s 28th-ranked defense and fourth-best run defense.
“It’s about the players that you have and utilizing them in the packages we need to cause stress to the defense,” Kotelnicki said. “I’m very blessed as an offensive coordinator to have the group of players that we have on the offensive side of the ball because we can be even more diverse than what we’ve been so far.”
Thankfully, Penn State has retained both Singleton and Allen for the College Football Playoff, and the backfield duo is more confident than ever after their conference championship performance.
“I feel like we’re the best backfield in the nation,” Singleton said. “Pick your poison.”
Can Franklin flip the script?
With the 45-37 loss in the conference championship, Penn State was seeded No. 6 in the College Football Playoff. If the Nittany Lions were to beat SMU, they would face No. 9 Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl—another game Penn State would likely be favored in.
With a win on New Year’s Eve, the Nittany Lions would then play in the semifinal against either No. 2 Georgia, No. 5 Notre Dame or No. 8 Indiana before playing for the national title. It’s perhaps the most favorable path out of any team in the playoff, including the Big Ten champion and No. 1 seed Oregon.
With Allar and Kotelnicki announcing their intentions to return in 2025, the 12-team playoff has presented Franklin an opportunity to not only change his personal narrative but also to end the season by doing something Penn State hasn’t done in 38 years: win a national championship.
About the Author
Mitch Corcoran is a senior at Penn State University and has been on the staff of Onward State, the student blog, since his junior year. With Onward State, Mitch is an associate editor and has covered several varsity sports, including being on the football and men’s volleyball beats since the spring of 2024.
