SMU was picked to finish seventh in its first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, a projection that would have meant an invite to a pedestrian bowl game.
Preseason projections are meaningless as the Mustangs wrap preparations for the first 12-team College Football Playoff.
SMU shattered expectations and the 11th-seeded Mustangs (11-2) are trying to continue that trend with a memorable upset of sixth-seeded Penn State on Saturday at chilly University Park, Pa.
The conditions, with forecasts of temperatures in the low-20s, certainly favor the Nittany Lions (11-2) who called for fans to participate via clothing choice in a “whiteout” in Happy Valley.
“Here’s the deal, they’re playing in the same weather we are,” Mustangs coach Rhett Lashlee said Tuesday. “They got to play in it just like we do. I don’t think they’ve played a game on December 21 at home before, either. I don’t think the weather’s a big deal. Both teams are playing the same conditions, whether there’s snow or not snow, whether it’s really cold or just kind of cold.”
The winner of Saturday’s game will meet third-seeded Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31.
While the Nittany Lions were viewed as a playoff team from the outset of the season, the Mustangs took the hard route and edged out traditional power Alabama for the final spot.
SMU went undefeated in ACC play in its first season in the league. Its two losses are by a combined six points — three to BYU and three to Clemson in the ACC title game.
The Mustangs last enjoyed a 12-win season in 1935 and will be counting on the duo of quarterback Kevin Jennings and running back Brashard Smith to help them achieve it.
Jennings has passed for 3,050 yards, 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Smith has rushed for 1,270 yards and 14 scores. He also has 1,814 all-purpose yards, just 29 shy of the school record set by Arthur Whittington in 1976.
SMU averages 38.5 points per game while Penn State isn’t far off that mark with a 33.6 scoring average.
Nittany Lions center Nick Dawkins sees the game developing into a full-scale brawl.
“They’re a good team — prepared to go the distance with these guys,” Dawkins said. “They’re definitely going to bring it. College football, it’s do or die, win or go home. It’s going to be very important to be ready to play four quarters.”
Penn State’s two setbacks were in showdowns against Ohio State and Oregon. The Nittany Lions lost by seven to the Buckeyes and eight to the Ducks earlier this month in the Big Ten title game.
Quarterback Drew Allar has thrown for 2,894 yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He said Monday he was returning to Penn State for the 2025 season.
“For me personally, it was a football decision,” Allar said. “That’s always how I’ve been operating. Me and my family had extensive talks about it, weighed everything. I came to the conclusion that I felt like it was best for my future.”
Star tight end Tyler Warren has 88 catches for 1,062 yards and 10 touchdowns while running backs Nicholas Singleton (838 yards) and Kaytron Allen (822) form a solid backfield duo.
Defensively, defensive end Abdul Carter is the star attraction with 19.5 tackles for loss, including 10 sacks. Carter was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
“There’s a reason he’s a top-five, top -10 pick in the upcoming draft,” Lashlee said of Carter. “There’s a lot of things in his favor that he doesn’t need on top of the fact that he’s just probably as talented of a pass rusher as there is. But that’s not all he is.
“He’s an all-around player. And what really stands out to me is how his motor, he plays the game the right way.”
This is the third all-time meeting between the schools. The schools played to a 13-13 tie in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1, 1948 and the Nittany Lions notched a 26-21 home win during the 1978 season.
–Field Level Media
