The Penn State Nittany Lions are set to make their College Football Playoff debut on Saturday afternoon as they host No. 11 SMU in Beaver Stadium for a first round matchup. James Franklin and company's quest to compete for a national championship begins with the Mustangs.
Happy Valley Insider takes a closer look at SMU by the numbers, ahead of Saturday's clash.
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Offense:
Every team is going to be great from here on out, but not many offenses Penn State has played are as explosive as SMU's, with the exception of Oregon. The Mustangs have the offensive firepower to compete with anyone in the country, scoring 38.5 points per game and amassing 443.1 yards per game, which ranks them in the top 25 of both scoring and total offense in the nation this season.
Behind the electric offense is quarterback Kevin Jennings, who has burst onto the scene as a dangerous signal caller for opposing defenses. Jennings took the starting role from incumbent Preston Stone early in the year and never looked back, tallying 3,050 passing yards and 22 touchdowns on a 66% completion percentage, while also accounting for 379 yards and five scores on the ground. The dual threat quarterback has come into his own and is the undisputed leader of the Ponies' offense.
Flanking Jennings in the backfield is First Team All-ACC running back Brashard Smith, who is 17th in rushing and fifth in all-purpose yards in the country this season. Smith has accounted for 1,270 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground, while also having 303 receiving yards and four scores through the air. Smith is the number one weapon for the Mustangs by a wide margin.
Jennings also has a deep receiving corps to lean on, with seven pass catchers having 300 or more yards this season. Those efforts are led by Roderick Daniels Jr. and Keyshawn Smith, who have 500+ yards apiece and a combined eight touchdowns. The Mustangs also have five players with four or more receiving touchdowns, with tight end Matthew Hibbner and wide receiver Jordan Hudson joining in that group.
Those pass catchers and Jennings make up a top 20 passing offense in the country this season, which has become common under head coach Rhett Lashlee in Dallas. It is a balanced attack though, with Smith leading one of the ACC's top ground games as well.
Helping in SMU's offensive firepower has been one of the top offensive lines in the country, who have surrendered 1.3 sacks per game, which ranks 23rd in the nation.
Defense:
While SMU is known for its offense under Rhett Lashlee, the defense has been a catalyst for the Mustangs' College Football Playoff run this season. The Ponies rank in the top 30 of total defense (340.2 yards per game) and scoring defense (20.8 points per game).
Behind SMU's stellar defensive play has been a suffocating run defense. The Mustangs have allowed just 98.3 yards per game on the ground this season, having just five teams eclipse 100 or more yards against them. One of the biggest battles on Saturday will be that run defense against Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, who have helped Penn State hold the Big Ten's top rushing attack, averaging north of 200 yards per game.
The pass defense in Dallas has been respectable, but teams have had success throwing the ball against the Ponies, particularly Duke, Pitt, TCU, Louisville and Clemson. That gives the likes of Drew Allar, Tyler Warren and Trey Wallace the opportunity to guide the Penn State offense on Saturday, should the run game get slowed down.
While they have been susceptible against the pass, SMU has been able to get after the quarterback, amassing 40 sacks this season, which led the ACC this fall. Jahfari Harvey, Elijah Roberts, Jared Harrison-Hunte and Isaiah Smith all have 5.5 or more sacks this season, as well as eight or more tackles for loss.
SMU's red zone defense has been a strength as well, keeping teams to scoring on 75% of their possessions inside the 20, which was second in the ACC this season.
Special teams:Â
Kicker Collin Rogers has been up-and-down this season, going 23-31 on field goal attempts, missing one kick in three of his last four games, but has been used a lot by Rhett Lashlee throughout the fall.
Punter Isaac Pearson has been effective as well, averaging 44.1 yards per punt, while having 10 inside the 20-yard line, as well as nine fair catches.
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