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Penn State football lost a talented defensive lineman to the transfer portal just a few days after the Big Ten championship game. Head coach James Franklin's team lost the clash against No. 1 Oregon in a 45-37 thriller. The Nittany Lions will have a chance to bounce back from this defeat in the College Football Playoff. Coming in as the No. 6 seed, this program is up to make a deep run in this twelve-team format. The journey will begin on December 20th against eleventh-seeded SMU.
Unfortunately, Penn State football's roster won't be complete heading into this matchup. According to National Recruiting/Transfer Portal Reporter Hayes Fawcett, freshman defensive tackle T.A . Cunningham has entered the transfer portal. Cunningham is a 6'5, 280-pound player out of Atlanta, Georgia. The former 3-star recruit had yet to record stats with the Nittany Lions to this point. Still, losing a player who can contribute off the field and in practice is a piece of adversity this team will have to deal with.
Penn State football's golden opportunity can turn into a nightmare quickly
The Nittany Lions have one of the more favorable paths to the College Football Playoff semifinals. Penn State football will host SMU in Happy Valley, and should they win that game, they will face the three-seeded Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl.
The Broncos are the No. 9 team overall and would come into that matchup as heavy underdogs. But this program is used to being in that position, especially heading into the Fiesta Bowls. Still, SMU is the focus right now, and the Mustangs should not be taken lightly. First-year head coach Rhett Lashlee leads a team with an offense averaging 38.5 points per game.
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For the first half of its ACC Championship loss to Clemson, SMU looked unimpressive. However, the Mustangs rallied from a 24-7 deficit, showcasing a resilience that raised many eyebrows. This dangerous team has nothing to lose going into Happy Valley. In contrast, the Mustangs were clearly nervous heading into the conference championship game. SMU was also hit with a level of play from Clemson that it was not used to throughout the year.
The adjustments Rhett Lashlee and his team made at halftime, particularly offensively, revealed the threat that they are. To this point, the only comparable offense that Penn State has seen was Oregon's on Saturday. Penn State's elite defense struggled with the Ducks' speed and downfield passing attack.
This unit will have to deal with similar strengths from the Mustangs' offense led by quarterback Kevin Jennings. The combination of Jennings and running back Brashard Smith leads to a versatile attack that can be successful in different climates.
Overall, if Drew Allar and the Penn State offense play with the same fearless approach as they did Saturday night, the Nittany Lions should be able to defend home field. James Franklin has forever been criticized for not winning big games with Penn State football. Now is the time for his program to shut up the haters as the Nittany Lions begin the road to their third national championship.
