Penn State made a decisive early move against SMU last week, leaving its offense on the field for a pivotal 4th-and-1 attempt from its own 19-yard line. The conversion fell short, primarily because of a misplayed snap, and the Mustangs took over down 14-0 in prime position to reframe the game.

The Nittany Lions host the Mustangs in a first-round playoff game at Beaver Stadium. Keep pace with playoff updates.

Who is Tyler Warren? The Penn State tight end was the best at his position in college football this season. Here's what to know:

No. 6 seed Penn State used two first-half interception returns for touchdowns to jumpstart a 38-10 blowout of No. 11 seed SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions will move on to meet No. 3 seed Boise State in the first Playoff quarterfinal at the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

SportsLine's model simulated Saturday's Penn State Nittany Lions vs. SMU Mustangs College Football Playoff first round matchup 10,000 times

This ever-improving combination figures to be a deciding point in Tuesday's Fiesta Bowl playoff game against the Boise State Broncos. While the Group of 5 Broncos own one of the top pass-rushing defenses in the nation (51 sacks in 13 games) they haven't faced anything like the Penn State run game − at least since a September loss to Oregon.