The Penn State Nittany Lions left little doubt on Saturday afternoon when they faced the SMU Mustangs in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
After nabbing a two-score lead in the first half thanks to a pair of pick-sixes, the Nittany Lions routed the Mustangs 38-10 to advance to the CFP quarterfinals and a matchup with Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.
The Nittany Lions kept a high-powered SMU offense that had totaled over 400 yards in nine straight games to just 253 total yards including 58 rushing yards and 1.6 yards per attempt. SMU's dangerous quarterback Kevin Jennings struggled in the first half completing just 9-of-19 passing attempts for 77 yards while throwing three interceptions including the aforementioned pair of pick-sixes.
Offensively, it wasn't a tremendous day for Penn State, but it was also a day in which they didn't have to do anything overly special. The Nittany Lions totaled just 325 yards in the game, including 136 passing yards. Quarterback Drew Allar had a shaky performance in the first half. In the second half, the Nittany Lions continued to stick with the run game as they dealt with the cold weather conditions, with 22 runs to just four passing attempts.
But who were the top performers according to Pro Football Focus?
Happy Valley Insider subscribers can take a look at the full PFF's grades and advanced stats for the Nittany Lions in our Lions Den forum, by clicking here.
TOP THREE PERFORMERS
40% snap share minimum
OVERALL GRADE: 83.2
It hasn't been the season that many expected from Tony Rojas, the sophomore linebacker struggled for parts of the season but over the last three weeks has been playing some of his best football. On Saturday against the Mustangs, Rojas perhaps had his best game as a Nittany Lion considering the circumstances. He was flying around the field and while he only had two tackles, he had one tackle for loss, multiple quarterback pressures, and of course, a pick-six.
The former walk-on, whom James Franklin talked emotionally about after the game, was spectacular. He had four tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, two pass breakups, and two interceptions, the first of which was a pick-six.
"Dom is just -- he's a baller," Franklin said. "You talk about a guy who was Pennsylvania Player of the Year, won a state championship on a torn ACL, gray shirted to be able to come here, came as a walk-on, earned a scholarship."
"What a shame that there may not be more stories like this in college football with the 105 rule. Dom DeLuca may not happen at Penn State. I love Dom and Mom and Dad. I think he's a tremendous example for all of our players on the team."
After a slow first quarter, Penn State's rushing attack found its groove in the second quarter and led the offense the remainder of the way. Kaytron Allen had 11 carries for 70 yards in the win over SMU including a 25-yard touchdown run, one of two touchdowns on the day for the Virginia native. Allen notably also had two receptions for 28 yards. Nicholas Singleton wasn't too shabby either with 14 carries for 90 yards and one touchdown.
--------------------------------------------------------------
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
