Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (knee) remained limited on Thursday and is questionable to play in the team’s Week 17 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams.

Conner went down in the third quarter of the Cardinals’ Week 16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, a loss that ultimately ended their postseason hopes. He did not return to the game and was further evaluated by trainers. However, head coach Jonathan Gannon on Tuesday did not rule out Conner for Saturday. On Thursday, Gannon said the 48 hours before game time will determine his availability.

Linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. (concussion) was limited on Wednesday, but he was a full participant on Thursday and Gannon said he will be good to go in Los Angeles after missing a game.

Gannon also announced safety Joey Blount (ribs) will not be able to play on Saturday, a hit to Arizona’s special teams.

Elsewhere on the defensive side, lineman Darius Robinson (calf) and linebacker Baron Browning (neck) were limited on Thursday. Browning was listed as questionable for Saturday, whereas Robinson had no designation. The Cardinals signed linebacker Benton Whitley to the active roster on Tuesday.

Kicker Matt Prater, who hasn’t appeared in a game since a Week 4 loss to the Washington Commanders, was ruled out on Thursday as he’s been rehabbing a meniscus injury to his left knee. He was designated to return from the injured reserve on Dec. 18.

The Rams had zero injuries to report on Tuesday, but added offensive linemen Rob Havenstein and Alaric Jackson to the injury report over the next two days. Havenstein carries a questionable designation into Saturday with a shoulder injury and Jackson was simply resting Thursday.

Arizona Cardinals injury report vs. Los Angeles Rams – Week 17

Player	Pos	Injury	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Game Status
Joey Blount	S	Ribs	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
Elijah Jones	CB	Ankle	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
Matt Prater	K	Left Knee	Limited	Limited	Limited	Out
James Conner	RB	Knee	Limited	Limited	Limited	Questionable
Trey Benson	RB	Ankle	Limited	Limited	Limited	Questionable
Darius Robinson	DL	Calf	Limited	Limited	Limited	–
Baron Browning	LB	Neck	Limited	Limited	Limited	Questionable
Mack Wilson Sr.	LB	Concussion	Limited	Limited	Full	–
Evan Brown	OL	Neck	Limited	Limited	Limited	Questionable
Kelvin Beachum	OL	NIR-Rest	Limited	Full	–	–
Michael Palardy	P	Illness	DNP	Full	–	–

Here is the Rams’ injury report:

Player	Pos	Injury	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Game Status
Rob Havenstein	OL	Shoulder	–	Limited	DNP	Questionable
Alaric Jackson	OL	NIR-Rest	–	–	DNP	–

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There have been a few scandals in Arizona’s local sports scene this year relative to the past. But mostly, teams have fallen short of expectations or blown past them. It’s been all about ball.

Speaking of ball, ASU football has played a lot of good ball.

Overall in the Valley, there haven’t been ugly or embarrassing things out in the news cycle.

Oh, the Arizona Coyotes? Yeah, Arizona already paid a price: losing our hockey franchise (but at least shedding a rotten ownership group with it).

An elf on the shelf can probably report to Santa that we’ve been good. Right?

We think so. Good thing, too, because Arizona sports fans are going to be asking for quite a lot this Christmas.

Are y’all getting greedy? Maybe. Do you deserve it? Yes.

What’s on our teams’ wishlists?

A Peach Bowl victory for ASU football over Texas would be great

It’s important to realize where you’ve come from. Arizona State football had to regroup and reset after the Herm Edwards era, and hometown boy Kenny Dillingham not only had his pulse on the town but the pulse on recruiting and then connecting with good football talent.

Was the Big 12 not as good as it wished it was? For sure.

Do not apologize for anything, Sun Devils. In fact, ask for more.

This season is already a wild success, but a Peach Bowl win against No. 5 Texas would not only validate everything (we shouldn’t need validating at this point) but give the program another bit of juice as it hopes to become a generational program rather than a one-hit-wonder.

D-backs to find a long-term home

Finding a franchise first baseman was on the wish list for sure, but toss Josh Naylor in our stocking because the big ol’ present we want under the tree is a place we know we can watch baseball beyond 2027.

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Chase Field lease agreement expires then, and the team will need local governmental support to find an avenue toward funding an update to their downtown Phoenix home.

The election served as a pinch-point because of the turnover among local elected officials, who must work with the D-backs to find a solution. There were naughty, not nice letters sent between outgoing Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jack Sellers and Diamondbacks CEO and president Derrick Hall to end 2024, where it looked like negotiations about a lease extension took a hit.

We don’t know what the election changed, but Hall has pointed to the New Year as a deadline for a solution.

We would very much like to keep our MLB team in town, Santa, please.

Health for those Phoenix Suns

Please lay out your complaints about the Phoenix Suns’ recent lack of availability in the comments below. We know.

Fan reaction to this year’s club has attached the similarities to last year’s dire situation. I get it.

But the returns in 2024-25 when Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal have all been healthy have been much better. It’s again important to have the perspective of the years 2011-2019 to try to enjoy a competitive basketball team with two Olympians leading the way.

Maybe these Suns have their flaws. Spending money doesn’t mean the boys in the locker room are jiving like that 2021 Finals squad. So all we ask is for this iteration to reach the playoffs healthy so we can at least see out this vision before resigning ourselves to more pain.

With the postseason not an option, the Cardinals would take a gift card to spend

The Cardinals have taken a big step forward, don’t get it twisted.

A next step toward success comes down to basic roster improvement. It’s clear this front office is banking on player development keeping their upward trend, and it starts at the top with Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. finding ways to get better. Learning each other will go a long way, but it might take time like that Murray-to-Trey McBride connection in its third season.

Time is an enemy, however, with the playoffs out of the picture in 2024.

The Suns have shown that spending all the money you can does not amount to wins, but there’s a lot of room to hope the Cardinals do a little more financially to elevate the roster to league-average in terms of on-paper talent.

General manager Monti Ossenfort has already shown he’s aware that handing out contracts to leaders like Budda Baker and James Conner is a priority. Linebacker Kyzir White is next, but whether this team can accept that it’s time to spend a little more liberally in free agency will be something to watch.

Do they want this group to plateau and then peter out? Or do they want to seriously give it a shot via talent injection this coming offseason?

Just a single good college basketball team as a stocking stuffer

One last thing, dear Santa Claus: College basketball.

We began the season with three super intriguing teams from Tempe, Tucson and Phoenix. As the New Year gets closer, it looks more likely we’re dealing with three bubble teams rather than three squads who could sniff the top 25.

Arizona State hung with Gonzaga and went on a run before falling flat against a very good Florida squad. Can the Sun Devils’ freshmen in Jayden Quaintance and Joson Sanon avoid hitting a wall? Because they are the most talented pieces on the Sun Devils.

The Arizona Wildcats have blown out bad teams and never beaten a good one, and you can be sure Tommy Lloyd is going to be on the hot seat even if this is a middle-tier Big 12 squad by season’s end.

Then there’s Grand Canyon, which has a win against Stanford but couldn’t get over the top against power opponents like ASU and Georgia. Finding that next gear after a successful NCAA Tournament appearance isn’t so easy.

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Netflix will have one of its biggest days Wednesday since the site launched in 1998 when it airs two NFL games for the first time.

“NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix” begins with a two-hour pregame show at 9 a.m. MST, before Pittsburgh hosts Kansas City. Baltimore faces Houston in the second game.

The streaming giant agreed to a three-year contract in May to carry Christmas Day games.

Where will the games be available?

Netflix’s 282.3 million subscribers in over 190 countries will be able to stream the games, marking the first time one outlet has distributed an NFL game globally. Netflix will have the games available in five languages — English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and German.

The games will also air on CBS affiliates in Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Houston. NFL policy dictates that games on cable or being exclusively streamed must also be on an over-the-air station in the competing teams’ markets. It will also be available on mobile devices in the U.S. for those who have NFL+.

Why is the NFL putting Christmas Day games on a streaming platform?

The biggest reason is money. The league is getting $150 million from Netflix for the two games this season. It also continues the NFL’s moves into streaming — Thursday night games are in their third season on Amazon Prime Video and the “Sunday Ticket” package moved to YouTube TV last year.

But Christmas is on a Wednesday when games usually aren’t played.

That’s true, but the league wasn’t about to give up Christmas after seeing the ratings. Last year’s three games averaged 28.68 million viewers. The early afternoon contest between the Las Vegas Raiders and Chiefs led the way, averaging 29.48 million.

The Chiefs, Steelers, Ravens and Texans played on Saturday, giving them the same turnaround they would have if they played on Sunday and then Thursday.

What is at stake for the teams playing?

All four have clinched playoff spots in the AFC, but seeding remains up for grabs.

Kansas City (14-1) can clinch the top seed — which would mean a first-round bye and home field throughout the playoffs — with a win over the Steelers. Pittsburgh and Baltimore are tied atop the AFC North at 10-5, with the Steelers holding the tiebreaker due to a better conference record.

Houston (9-6) has wrapped up the AFC South and holds the fourth seed.

Has Netflix fixed its streaming problems from the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight?

Netflix hopes so. Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s vice president of nonfiction series and sports, said the system was stress tested, and then some, during the Nov. 14 bout, along with internet service providers reporting they were also overwhelmed by the surge that occurred before and during the fight.

The bout peaked at 65 million concurrent streams, including 38 million concurrent streams in the United States. According to the website Down Detector, nearly 85,000 viewers logged problems with outages or streaming leading up to and during the fight.

Could there be the same number streaming the games that there were during the fight?

Possible? Yes. Likely? No.

The largest audience for a streamed-exclusive NFL game was 23 million on Peacock for last season’s AFC wild-card game between the Miami Dolphins and Chiefs.

Nielsen will measure the ratings for the Christmas Day games, with early numbers expected late afternoon on Thursday.

When could there be surge in demand on Wednesday?

It will probably be at kickoff for both games, but especially around 3:45 p.m. MST. That would be near halftime of the Ravens-Texans game, and when Beyoncé will be performing.

What other celebrities will appear?

Mariah Carey will kick off the day with a taped performance of “All I Want for Christmas is You.”

There is no word if Taylor Swift will make the trip to Pittsburgh to watch her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Swift has been spending time in Kansas City since she wrapped up her Eras Tour two weeks ago.

How many Christmas games will Netflix carry in the next two seasons?

The NFL will have at least two games on Dec. 25 in 2025 and ’26, with Netflix slated to have at least one each year. Amazon Prime Video will have a night game with Christmas on a Thursday next year.

Does Netflix have an interest in other sports?

Netflix’s worldwide partnership with World Wrestling Entertainment will begin on Jan. 6 when “Monday Night Raw” moves to the streaming service.

On Friday, Netflix secured the U.S. rights for the 2027 and 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

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TEMPE — There’s still plenty of meaningful football to play with the regular season winding down. That is unless you’re the Arizona Cardinals fresh off a 36-30 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers.

After building confidence and expectations on their way to a 6-4 mark heading into the bye, Arizona failed to get the job done when it mattered most and have been eliminated from playoff contention with two games to play.

A lot of the blame has fallen on quarterback Kyler Murray and the offense for the Cardinals’ downward trend since the off week.

But in Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon’s eyes, it all falls back on him.

“I’m not satisfied with the performance of the team,” Gannon said Monday afternoon when asked if he was satisfied with the offense. “That starts with me. What I’m really saying is that’s an indictment of myself. I’m not satisfied with myself.”

Whether it be the mountain of penalties that are occurring on a near-weekly basis, losing the turnover battle or struggling to stop the run, the Cardinals have plenty to clean up these next two weeks and beyond.

So, while the Cardinals may no longer playing meaningful football in December — something that has eluded this franchise more times than not in recent memory — two chances remain for Arizona to instill some of that confidence that has been leaking out the sides of the organization since Week 12.

“Love that we get to go play two games. We have two more opportunities,” Gannon said. “It’s obviously not the outcome we wanted. We’re not going to be playing in mid-January, but I’m excited for these two opportunities. I understand how a lot of people think, but when you’re in our seat, the joy is competition.

“Last year we weren’t playing for anything. We made a lot of hay and got a lot better. We did a lot of good things last year that I felt we built on and followed us a little bit into this year. They’re learning opportunities for us and we’re going to go play a really good team (this week). The competitor in me can’t wait to play on Saturday night. I wish it was here.”

If Cardinals players are healthy, they’ll play

When a team is mathematically eliminated from playoff contention with games still to play, there are a few avenues it can take the rest of the way.

One of those centers around getting young players more reps and giving known commodities time to rest and avoid any potential late-season injuries.

That’s not how Gannon is operating down this final stretch, however.

“I always think about the player health first and then for us. If they’re healthy enough to play, they’ll play,” Gannon said.

“We’re going to play who we think gives us the best chance to win,” he added when asked if young players might get more looks the rest of the way.

These next two weeks won’t be easy feats by any means.

In what had the makings of a division-deciding tilt, the Cardinals now head into L.A. looking to play spoiler against quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Rams.

A Cardinals win would at the very least rid Arizona of the bad taste that remains from the Carolina debacle. It would also make Week 18’s tilt between the Rams and Seattle Seahawks that much more interesting with the NFC West title likely on the line.

And while the San Francisco 49ers look dead in the water after being eliminated from playoff contention last week, they’re still very much a tough out with linebacker Fred Warner still on the prowl.

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Bevo, the live mascot of the Texas Longhorns, won’t be supporting his team on the sidelines of the Peach Bowl against the Arizona State Sun Devils on Jan. 1.

“We love all of the great traditions of college football and no doubt, Bevo is one of the best, but the unfortunate reality is there simply is not enough room on the sidelines of Mercedes-Benz Stadium,” the bowl game’s official account wrote on X.

“With the constraints of the stadium and prioritizing the safety of Bevo, the players, all the network cameras, support staff, cheerleaders, and photographers, we unfortunately will not be able to have Bevo on the field at the CFP quarterfinals at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.”

A Peach Bowl official told The Athletic that there was not enough space to erect Bevo’s enclosure on the sidelines.

Bevo XV was also barred from this year’s SEC Championship Game, which like the Peach Bowl was held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The location is the same place where Bevo caused controversy in 2019 before the Sugar Bowl by breaking through fencing during pregame warmups and appearing to charge Georgia Bulldogs mascot Uga X.

It takes away one narrative for the Peach Bowl favorite Longhorns.

ASU’s mascot, Sparky the Sun Devil, began verbally sparring behind the keyboard this weekend after Texas beat Clemson to line up the game against Arizona State, which is coming off a bye.

The Sun Devil, meanwhile, is expected to go down to Georgia for the game.

Bevo better watch out steaks back on the menu for the @CFAPeachBowl😈🔱

— Sparky the Sun Devil (@SparkySunDevil) December 22, 2024

How big is Bevo the Texas Longhorns’ mascot?

Bevo weighs in around 1,700 pounds, and the Silver Spurs, his handlers, claim he is the “largest live mascot in college athletics.”

Colorado Buffaloes mascot Ralphie VI is approximately 850 pounds.

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The Arizona Wildcats are expected to land Kansas State transfer and receiver Tre Spivey, a product of Hamilton High School in Chandler and son of former Arizona Diamondback Junior Spivey, according to 247 Sports Chris Hummer.

Tre Spivey caught 14 passes for 160 yards as a redshirt freshman this past year.

He is not the Wildcats’ only notable portal addition of late. On Saturday, FCS All-American linebacker Blake Gotcher committed. He has a year of eligibility remaining after leading Division I with 162 tackles this past season.

The Wildcats also landed Texas State running back Ismail Mahdi on Saturday.

The 5-foot-9, 180-pounder averaged 5.4 yards per carry (183) for 991 yards and had six total touchdowns with two coming on 24 catches over 12 games. The Bobcats squared off with rival Arizona State on Sept. 12 and Mahdi was responsible for 96 all-purpose yards in a competitive 31-28 loss.

Quarterback Noah Fifita, who was not entered into the transfer portal, has announced he would return under new offensive coordinator Seth Doege.

Among Arizona’s biggest losses in the portal is linebacker Jacob Manu, who has committed to play at Washington in 2025.

He first announced his intention to leave on Dec. 10 and will have one year of eligibility remaining with the Huskies and former Arizona coach Jeff Fisch. Following a 2023 All Pac-12 First Team selection, Manu only saw seven games of action with a season-ending knee injury in October.

Manu’s school decision came after defensive backs Genesis Smith and Dalton Johnson exited the portal to return to Tucson next season. Smith, like Spivey, is also a product of Chandler’s Hamilton High School.

While Smith’s return keeps more talent at home, the defensive backfield has lost several key players. Starting cornerbacks Tacario Davis and Treydan Stukes, plus safety Gunner Maldonado, have hit the portal lately.

Davis is the most notable entrant for the football team so far. Before the 2024 season, he was projected as a potential first-round NFL Draft pick.

The junior finished 2024 with 43 tackles and six passes defensed.

Brent Brennan’s first year leading the Wildcats went far south of expectations with a good portion of the roster returning from a 10-win club a year prior. Arizona football was projected to finish fifth in the Big 12 but fell flat with a 4-8 record that ended with a 49-7 rivalry loss to Arizona State.

The first starter to leave was starting left guard Wendell Moe, a redshirt sophomore.

Tight end Keyan Barnett, who will be taking his talents to Kansas, joins Manu as one of two Servite High School products who have defected along with receiver Tetairoa McMillan leaving for the NFL.

Offensive tackle Jonah Savaiinaea has also declared for the draft.

Here’s who is incoming and outgoing via the transfer portal by date.

Arizona Wildcats football transfer portal tracker for the 2025 offseason

Additions

WR Tre Spivey (Dec. 23) — Kansas State

OL Ka’ena DeCambra (Dec. 22) — Hawaii

OT Tristan Bounds (Dec. 22) — Michigan

LB Blake Gotcher (Dec. 21) — Northwestern State

RB Ismail Mahdi (Dec. 21) — Texas State

DL Deshawn McKnight (Dec. 20) UT Martin

OT Ty Buchanan (Dec. 20) — Texas Tech

OT Jordan Brown (Dec. 20) — Georgia Tech

S Dalton Johnson (Dec. 19) — Return to Arizona

WR Kris Hutson (Dec. 18) — Washington State

S Jshawn Frausto-Ramos (Dec. 18) — Stanford

CB Jay’Vion Cole (Dec. 16) — Texas

CB Michael Dansby (Dec. 15) — San Jose State

S Genesis Smith (Dec. 15) — Return to Arizona

EDGE Chancellor Owens (Dec. 14) — Northwestern State

WR Luke Wysong (Dec. 13) — New Mexico

Departures

TE Keyan Burnett (Dec. 20) — Kansas

CB Demetrius Freeney (Dec. 17) — Boise State

DL Keanu Mailoto (Dec. 16)

CB Treydan Stukes (Dec. 11)

EDGE Nolan Clement (Dec. 11)

CB Tacario Davis (Dec. 11)

EDGE Cyrus Durham (Dec. 11)

OT Elijha Payne (Dec. 11)

LB Jacob Manu (Dec. 10) — Washington

S Gunner Maldonado (Dec. 10)

EDGE Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei (Dec. 10) — Washington

DL Nick Fernandez (Dec. 10)

DL Nick Fernandez (Dec. 10)

LB Kamuela Kaaihue (Dec. 10)

CB Emmanuel Karnley (Dec. 9)

EDGE Tristan Davis (Dec. 9)

OL Jonah Rodriguez (Dec. 9)

CB Demetrius Freeney (Dec. 8) — Boise State

WR Reymello Murphy (Dec. 8)

WR Jackson Holman (Dec. 8)

ATH Jai-Ayviauynn Celestine (Dec. 8)

RB Brandon Johnson (Dec. 8)

QB Anthony Garcia (Dec. 8)

OG Wendell Moe (Dec. 6) — Tennessee

OT JT Hand (Dec. 4) — Oregon State

RB Rayshon Luke (Dec. 3)

WR A.J. Jones (Dec. 3)

TE Dorian Thomas (Dec. 2)

DL Bryce Echols (Dec. 2) — Nevada

QB Brayden Dorman (Dec. 1)

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The 52nd annual Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe returns on Saturday, December 28, at 10 a.m. This year’s theme, A New Era, reflects the evolution of the College Football Playoff (CFP) to a 12-team format, leading to the first-ever CFP Quarterfinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on December 31, and the organizational rebrand to the Fiesta Sports Foundation.

The parade is a cherished Arizona tradition, showcasing vibrant community groups, marching bands, and dazzling floats along a two-mile procession through Central Phoenix.

This year’s Grand Marshal is Anthony Robles, a Mesa High School graduate and 2011 NCAA Wrestling Champion while at Arizona State University. Born without his right leg, Robles overcame obstacles to become a three-time All-American. His inspiring story is featured in the upcoming Amazon MGM Studios film Unstoppable, set for release this month.

With over 3,000 participants each year, the parade continues to deliver unforgettable moments, including new elements and enhanced fan experiences. Last year introduced never-before-seen floats, and this year promises even more surprises, with monetary awards for standout entries.

Free to the public, the parade invites all to join in this festive celebration of sports, community, and tradition. Can’t attend in person? Watch live on Arizona’s Family 3TV and its digital platforms. Mark your calendars for this iconic event right in the hear of Bowl Season in Arizona!

To learn more about the event and purchase premium seating, visit fiestabowl.org/parade.

In a got-to-have-it game, the Arizona Cardinals failed to put their best foot forward in a 36-30 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Because of that, they’ll be watching the postseason play out from their couches.

Coupled with the Cardinals’ ugly loss in Carolina, the Los Angeles Rams’ 19-9 win over the New York Jets has officially shut the door on any lingering playoff hopes for Arizona.

And it was definitely one way to go out.

Reverting back to their issues across their three-game losing streak, the Cardinals failed to instill much confidence behind a sputtering offense led by quarterback Kyler Murray.

Among the biggest issues were the penalties. Totaling nine for 73 yards as a team, Arizona consistently shot itself in the foot through Sunday’s game.

Quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. again looked off with their connection, while tight end Trey McBride was held to just two catches for nine yards.

Being down as many as 17 midway through the second quarter didn’t help. Neither did quarterback Kyler Murray’s fourth-quarter interception on Arizona’s penultimate drive of the game.

About the only positive from Arizona’s offense on Sunday was running back James Conner, who racked up 117 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries in three quarters of work.

But even he has his issues, going down with a knee injury in the three quarter. He did not return to action.

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Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner continued to be the most consistent part of the offense in Sunday’s 36-30 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers.

His second straight 1,000-yard season, which he reached in the first quarter of Sunday’s game, says all you need to know.

With the accomplishment, Conner is now tied with former running back Edgerrin James for the most 1,000-yard season in franchise history. Both Conner and James sit three back from Ottis Anderson’s mark of five.

Looking to ignite the offense, the veteran surpassed 1K behind a 40-yard run that flipped the field for Arizona’s offense.

And good thing he did.

Outside of Conner’s day of 117 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, Arizona looked out of sorts on both sides of the football.

Much like what was put on tape during Arizona’s three-game losing streak, the offense continued to shoot themselves in the foot with penalties.

In a little more than a quarter of play, Arizona as a whole had eight penalties. As head coach Jonathan Gannon would say, that is non-winning behavior.

The connection between quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. also looked off with added miscommunication. The rookie getting dinged for being offsides on the first play of scrimmage didn’t help, either.

Michael Carter’s fumble in the second quarter only added insult to injury. As did quarterback Kyler Murray’s costly fourth-quarter interception.

Defensively, Arizona had little answers for Carolina quarterback Bryce Young and Co., who put up 36 points for just the second time all year. Running back Chuba Hubbard also got his behind 152 yards and two scores on 25 carries.

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STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Dominic DeLuca and Tony Rojas returned interceptions for touchdowns and Penn State toyed with mistake-prone SMU in a 38-10 victory on Saturday in the opening round of the College Football Playoff.

The sixth-seeded Nittany Lions (12-2) advanced to face third-seeded Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve by hounding Mustangs quarterback Kevin Jennings into three turnovers, including a pair of ill-thrown floaters in the first half DeLuca and Rojas converted into Pick-6s that sent the white-out crowd at wintry Beaver Stadium into a frenzy and SMU (11-3) into a funk from which it never recovered.

Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen ran for scores for the Nittany Lions. Drew Allar completed 13 of 22 passes for 127 yards while playing every meaningful snap after backup Beau Pribula — who occasionally and effectively spelled Allar throughout the year — entered the transfer portal earlier this week.

Jennings, whose electrifying play fueled SMU’s undefeated regular-season sprint through the ACC, finished 20 of 36 for 195 yards with a late touchdown and three picks. He began the day by missing a wide-open tight end Matthew Hibner at the goal line to end the Mustangs’ promising opening possession, and things only got worse from there.

His flip to Brashard Smith on SMU’s second drive sailed over the running back’s head and into the arms of an awaiting DeLuca, who raced 23 yards to the end zone to give Penn State the lead. Early in the second quarter, Jennings scrambled to his right and threw against his body into triple coverage. Rojas snagged it and weaved 59 yards to stake the Nittany Lions to a 14-0 lead they never came close to squandering.

The defense’s early strike gave Allar and Penn State’s running game time to get settled. Allen finished off a nine-play 75-yard drive with a 25-yard touchdown dash to make it 21-0. Singleton then bulled over from a yard out late in the first half to make it 28-0.

And unlike the ACC title game against Clemson — when the Mustangs roared all the way back from a 17-point second-half deficit to tie it before falling on the final snap — this time there would be no rally.

The last two quarters were mostly a chance for the crowd of over 106,000 that braved temperatures in the low-20s with a pretty steady breeze to soak in the kind of big game victory that hasn’t happened quite as often as they would like during James Franklin’s largely successful 11-year tenure.

With one test now passed, another big one awaits in the desert on the last day of 2024.

Penn State will try to win a 13th game for the first time in the program’s 131-year history when it heads to the Fiesta Bowl, a game in which the Nittany Lions are 7-0 all-time.