Saturday, December 21, 2024 – 11 a.m. CT
[11] SMU (11-2, 8-0 ACC) at [6] Penn State (11-2, 8-1 Big Ten)
Beaver Stadium – University Park, Pa.
TV: TNT
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The Pony Express Show Presented by the Cox School of Business

SETTING THE SCENE
• Eleventh-seeded SMU is set to make its College Football Playoff debut when it faces six-seed Penn State at Beaver Stadium on Saturday at 11 a.m. on TNT.
• The Mustangs earned their first ever bid to the CFP by earning an at-large selection and the 11th seed during the playoff's first year with a 12-team format.
• SMU enters the contest at 11-2 and ranked No. 10 in the nation. The Mustangs have rose as high as seventh this season, the program's highest ranking since 1985.
• SMU has won its last 10 road games, second-longest active streak in all of the FBS behind only fifth-seeded Texas.
• The Mustangs have forced at least one turnover in nine of the past 12 games and in 19 of the past 23 contests.
• SMU orchestrated a furious fourth-quarter comeback during the ACC Championship versus Clemson to tie the game with under a minute remaining in the game. However, the Tigers nailed an ACC Championship Game-record 56-yard field goal as time expired to take the conference crown.
• SMU's 8-0 season in conference play is a first for a team jumping into a Power-4/5 conference from a Group of Five in their first season since 1978. Of those teams, only Louisville (2014) finished with a winning conference record, going 5-3 in ACC play. 

QUICK HITS
• SMU's defense has continued to force turnovers this year, ranking 26th in the country with 21 turnovers gained, along with being fifth in defensive touchdowns with four.
• The Mustangs have had at least seven receivers catch a pass in 27 of the past 30 games.
• Brashard Smith has made an impact in 2024, ranking eighth in all-purpose yards per game with 139.54 and 11th in total touchdowns (18), resulting in being named a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award. Smith has also scored 112 points this season, which ranks 15th in the nation. The senior is just 29 yards shy of breaking the SMU single-season all-purpose yards record.
• Collin Rogers has tallied 23 field goals this season, which is third in the nation. He leads the nation in made field goals over 50 yards with seven, one shy of the NCAA single season record of eight set by Tennessee's Fuad Reveiz in 1982, leading to being selected as a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, he also was named a First Team All-America by Sports Illustrated. 
• Kevin Jennings sits 10th nationally in passing yards per attempt (8.87) and 13th in passing efficiency (156.9). 
• Jennings has the highest passer efficiency rating in conference games only in the ACC at 171.5.
• SMU's 54 wins in the last six years are the most by any FBS Texas team. In addition, the Mustangs have won 24 of those on the road, tops for any team in the state since 2019.
• The Mustangs are 20-3 in their last 23 games, and 19-2 in their last 21 regular-season contests.
• Rhett Lashlee boasts a 21-3 conference record in his career. His 21-3 record in his first 24 league games on the Hilltop is the best in SMU history.
• SMU has posted a record of 26-2 during Lashlee's three seasons in charge when they score 30 or more points in a game.

THE SERIES
• This is the third meeting all time, with Penn State holding a 1-0-1 advantage in the series.
• Penn State took the matchup in 1978 at home, while the two programs tied 13-13 in the 1947 Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

ABOUT THE NITTANY LIONS
• Penn State enters the game at 11-2 overall and 8-1 in the Big 10.
• The Nittany Lions' comeback fell short during the Big 10 Championship against top-ranked Oregon, losing 45-37.
• PSU is 1-2 against ranked opponents this season, with the win coming over No. 19 Illinois in Happy Valley on Sept. 28.

LET'S TAKE THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD
• SMU's 10-game current road winning streak is second-longest active streak in college football and longest in program history since a 13-game streak from Sept. 26, 1981 to Sept. 15, 1984. 
• SMU has averaged 35 points per game during the streak. 
• The Mustangs have scored at least 26 points in all 10 road wins dating back to 2023. 

CURRENT 10-GAME ROAD WINNING STREAK 
Oct. 12, 2023    W, 31-10    at ECU (1)
Oct. 20, 2023    W, 55-0    at Temple (2)
Nov. 4, 2023        W, 36-31    at Rice (3)
Nov. 18, 2023    W, 38-34    at Memphis (4)
Dec. 2, 2023        W, 26-14    at Tulane (5)
Aug. 24, 2024    W, 29-24    at Nevada (6)
Oct. 5, 2024        W, 34-27    at No. 22 Louisville (7)
Oct. 19, 2024    W, 40-10    at Stanford (8)
Oct. 26, 2024    W, 28-27(OT)    at Duke (9)
Nov. 23, 2024    W, 33-7    at Virginia (10)


LEVELED UP 
• The Mustangs continue to be a dominant force in conference games for a second straight season. 
• SMU won conference games by a score of 37.62-18.25, an average of 19.37. 
• The 19.37 average margin of victory is the third highest for any P4 team in the country, behind Indiana (23.11) and Oregon (20.0)
• Only the Ducks and the Mustangs went unbeaten in conference play amongst P4 teams in 2024. 

SAME PONY, NEW EXPRESS
• The Mustangs have put together one of the best two-seasons run in the program's history in 2023 and 2024. 
• For the first time ever, the Mustangs have put together back-to-back seasons with at least 11 wins. 
• During the run, SMU went a perfect 16-0 in conference play in two different conferences (AAC in 2023 and ACC in 2024). 

PLAYOFFS, WE'RE TALKING PLAYOFFS
• SMU made its debut in the first set of the 2024 CFP rankings on Nov. 6, coming in at No. 13.
• The Mustangs were ranked 10th in the final edition of the CFP rankings, good enough to earn an at-large bid to mark the program's first ever appearance in the CFP.

MUSTANG HISTORY IN THE CFP RANKINGS
Year    Date        Ranking
2019    Nov. 5        25
2019    Nov. 19        25
2023    Dec. 3        24
2024    Nov. 5        13
2024    Nov. 12        14
2024    Nov. 19        13
2024    Nov. 26        9
2024    Dec. 3        8
2024    Dec. 8        10

HIGH ACCOLADES FOR THE HEAD MAN 
• Head coach Rhett Lashlee has led the Mustangs to new heights this season and has picked up accolades in the process.
• Lashlee was named ACC Coach of the Year after leading SMU to the conference championship game in its first season in the conference.
• He also was named the DCTF Coach of the Year, and a finalist Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award.