The College Football Playoff first round will see the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions (11-2) hosting the No. 7 SMU Mustangs (11-2) at 12 p.m. ET at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. Penn State is favored in the matchup, by 8.5 points.
The Nittany Lions enter this matchup after a 45-37 loss to the Oregon Ducks in their most recent outing. The Mustangs are coming off of a 34-31 loss to the Clemson Tigers. Against the Ducks, Drew Allar led the Lions with 226 yards on 20-of-39 passing (51.3%) for three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also carried the ball five times for 54 yards and one rushing touchdown. Kaytron Allen totaled 124 rushing yards on 14 carries (8.9 yards per carry), scoring one touchdown on the ground. He also had three catches for 15 yards. Tyler Warren totaled seven receptions for 84 yards (averaging 12.0 per catch) against the Ducks. Kevin Jennings notched 304 passing yards while going 31-for-50 with three touchdowns and one interception for the Mustangs against the Tigers. He added 10 carries for 35 yards and one touchdown. In that matchup, Brashard Smith had a 24-carry, 113-yard game (4.7 yards per attempt). He tacked on six receptions for 34 yards and one touchdown. Roderick Daniels Jr. registered 97 yards through the air after eight catches (on 10 targets), with one touchdown.
We dive into all of the details you need to know about this contest below, including how to watch on TNT.
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