DeLuca went from walk-on to captain with the Nittany Lions. 'You can't help but love Dom,' Penn State DC Tom Allen said.

Beaver Stadium is one of the toughest places to play in around the entirety of college football so the Mustangs will have their hands full. SMU will need to control the crowd before it gets to be too late if they want any chance of pulling the upset.

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.

But Penn State moved onto a Fiesta Bowl game vs. Boise State by insulating itself from narrative talk and making its own statements."I don't care what anyone says about me, my team, or my coach," Penn State quarterback Drew Allar said.