SMU coach Rhett Lashlee expressed disappointment after his team’s 38-10 loss to Penn State in the College Football Playoff (CFP) game on Saturday. The Mustangs struggled in the second quarter, giving up 21 points and quarterback Kevin Jennings’ second pick-six of the day.
Lashlee pointed to the disastrous second quarter as the reason for the team’s setback. “We let the game get away from us and didn’t give ourselves a chance to compete today,” he said. “We had opportunities to score early, but we didn’t execute.”
The coach also dismissed concerns about the weather and large Beaver Stadium crowd of 106,000-plus. “Both teams played in the same weather on the same field,” Lashlee said. “I don’t think weather had anything to do with it.”
Penn State players praised their team’s performance, saying they made adjustments and played well throughout the game. Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar stated that Coach Franklin gets undeserved criticism and was special to achieve his 100th win in a playoff game.
The CFP win marked Penn State’s first appearance since 2016. The loss ended SMU’s season, with the team unable to overcome their struggles against Penn State’s defense.
Source: https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/news/what-did-smu-coach-rhett-lashlee-penn-state-players-say-about-the-lions-38-10-cfp-win