SMU at Penn State: College Football Playoff first round live updates, score, highlights
No. 11 SMU travels to No. 6 Penn State on Saturday for the first round of the College Football Playoff. The Nittany Lions played one of its best games of the season two weeks ago in the Big Ten championship game against Oregon.
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar has already announced he plans to return for the 2025 season, but his backup quarterback Beau Pribula has entered the portal and left the program. Meanwhile, SMU lost to Clemson in the ACC championship game but was able to still squeeze into the CFP field. The Mustangs will play in front of their largest crowd of the season in Happy Valley.
Kickoff is set for Noon ET on TNT on Saturday. Penn State meets SMU for the third time in program history, with the last matchup coming in 1978.
Penn State pick-six
12/21/2024 11:30:59 AM
Penn State linebacker Dominic DeLuca picked off Kevin Jennings at the SMU 23-yard line, returning it to the house for a pick-six. Penn State leads 7-0 with 6:08 remaining in the first quarter.
White Out in Happy Valley
12/21/2024 11:30:11 AM
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) December 21, 2024
SMU fails to convert on 4th down
12/21/2024 11:20:49 AM
Facing a 4th-and-1 on the Penn State 19-yard line, SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings rolled out and had enough for the first down but instead targeted Matthew Hibner, who couldn’t pull in the pass. Penn State takes over with 11:08 left in the first quarter.
Penn State goes three-and-out
12/21/2024 11:13:40 AM
Penn State goes three-and-out on the opening drive of the game. SMU takes over on its 32-yard line.
Coin Toss
12/21/2024 11:11:35 AM
SMU won the toss and deferred to the second half. Penn State will receive to start the game.
College GameDay picks
12/21/2024 11:02:48 AM
SMU Mustangs at Penn State Nittany Lions: The whole crew believes James Franklin and Penn State take care of business against Rhett Lashlee and SMU.
Joel Klatt weighs in on Beau Pribula departure
12/21/2024 10:41:42 AM
Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt hates the situation of Beau Pribula and how the Penn State quarterback entered the transfer portal prior to the College Football Playoff. Pribula wasn’t the starter, but he played a key role in the Nittany Lions’ offense.
“I hate it for Beau Pribula, and in his tweet, he mentions the fact that he hates that he’s in this situation,” Klatt said on his podcast. “And why is he in this situation? Because the transfer portal is open during the season, and it’s going to close on December 28.
“… The NCAA has built an incredibly flawed system that is impossible to navigate for these young men. The fact that we have an open transfer portal while the season is still happening is crazy. We have to fix this. We absolutely have to fix this.”
Weather update
12/21/2024 10:39:00 AM
According to the AccuWeather forecast, both teams are going to be battling the elements. It’s expected to be 26 degrees for this weekend’s game, “Low clouds, breezy and colder with a few flurries; bitter cold; be sure to wear layers,” the full forecast reads.
Final line
12/21/2024 10:37:00 AM
Penn State is an 8.5-point favorite against SMU, according to FanDuel. The over-under is set at 52.5 points.
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