Home advantage strengthens Penn State football in playoff win against SMU

Beaver Stadium didn’t break any records. It wasn’t even sold out yet. That didn’t matter.

In Penn State football’s fourth white-out or white-out-like game of the 2024 season, fans made a difference 38-10 victory over SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff. A fan base hungry for its first playoff win watched their team win in one of college football’s toughest atmospheres. After purchasing 106,013 tickets, around 500 before they were sold out, the fans noticeably raised the mood.

Penn State and James Franklin had expressed concerns in the week leading up to the game that Beaver Stadium would not be what it normally was due to the way the College Football Playoff administered the game. Nevertheless, it didn’t become an issue. “Mo Bamba” rang through the venue as the stadium physically shook during big games.

At Saturday’s game, Plenty was expected to work against the crowd. Several Penn State students who requested tickets to the game did not receive them, although Penn State Athletics said every student who requested a ticket by the deadline received one. Doesn’t matter, Several sections in the student area were sold to the publicand SMU fans have devoured several rows in WA.

Most of the students had already left the city before the game anyway. With finals week in the rearview mirror, students headed off for winter break, leaving the area empty regardless of how many students may have been screened for ticket requests.

Regardless, the student section had one of its loudest games of the season. As Penn State’s defense gained momentum after interceptions by Dom DeLuca, Tony Rojas and DeLuca again, the crowd was thrilled. While the outcome of the game was expected at halftime, students stayed until the fourth quarter, although many headed out the exits to avoid the cold weather that descended on State College.

Three false starts in the red zone cost SMU a total of 15 yards from this depleted student section. The Mustangs often appeared frustrated during the game as they struggled to communicate on offense, while quarterback Kevin Jennings spent much of the game covering his ears.

“We got what we expected. I don’t think we called a timeout because of the crowd, but I thought we handled the crowd great 95% of the game,” head coach Rhett Lashlee said after the game.

While SMU felt like it handled the crowd well, it still wasn’t perfect. For a team with a stadium capacity of 32,000, it was difficult to prepare for a crowd more than three times that size. Because as loud as that Mustangs played “Mo Bamba” While Jennings felt prepared in her practices, SMU felt the effects of home-field advantage in the playoffs.

“I think that’s where it hit us the most. (It) was the third quarter going into the end zone where the student section was,” Lashlee said. “And that’s what college football is all about. We have to deal with this better.”