Dynamic. Dangerous. Fearless. That’s how Penn State views their opponent QB ahead of their first playoff round. This season gave SMU starter Kevin Jennings the opportunity to bask in the spotlight with his talent. Under his leadership, the Mustangs made an ACC Championship game appearance and clinched a spot in the first ever 12-team CFP. As someone who led an unexpected team to the postseason games, praises are never far behind. And who could’ve expected that their opponent’s HC would be the one to make a bold NFL comparison on 

On December 19, Locked on Nittany Lions posted a YouTube video of James Franklin addressing the media ahead of the Penn State-SMU showdown. He made a bold comparison of the Mustangs QB Kevin Jennings saying that he reminds him of the Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. He said, “Athletic, can extend plays, can make big plays, does a really good job of keeping his eyes down the field. I think that’s his style of play. I don’t know if we have anybody else that we have played this year that’s similar to him but his name really reminds me a lot of Lamar Jackson.”

No. 6 Penn State may have played 13 different opponents this season but not many play makers could compare to their playoff QB opponent. One of the reasons why SMU’s offense is one of the best in the nation is because of their dual-threat QB Kevin Jennings. This season, he passed for 3,050 yards and 22 touchdowns while also rushing for 379 yards and five touchdowns in 93 carries. 

At 6’0, 185-pounds, Kevin Jennings may not have Lamar Jackson’s build. But he has the ability to turn the offense around. His achievements this season include 10 multi-TD games and four 300+ yard passing games. He also leads the QBs in the ACC in pass-efficiency rating of 171.5 in conference games. Unsurprisingly, James Franklin isn’t the only one from Penn State to feel wary of Jennings in the upcoming playoffs. 

Kevin Jennings is what keeps SMU running

Call him the engine. Even Penn State DC Tom Allen is aware of the threat that Kevin Jennings could give to the Nittany Lions. He said, “He’s really, really special. I think he’s a special talent. I really do. He’s a guy I didn’t know a lot about before us playing him. But he certainly has my full attention.” With Jennings at the helm, the Mustangs have averaged 38.5 points per game, the top six in the FBS. They’re also averaging 443.1 yards per game. 

The interesting thing is that Kevin Jennings didn’t begin this season as the Mustangs’ starter. It was only in Week 3 that Rhett Lashlee gave him the starting nod to replace Preston Stone. Now, he’s tied with Penn State QB Drew Allar for the ninth-most yards per passing attempt at 8.9. Ahead of the playoff R1, he said, “They’re a very talented group. They play hard. They have really good D-linemen. Their front seven is pretty great. If we execute the way we’re supposed to execute and play out game, there’s no way they can stop us.” 

But let the talks rest. It’ll be on Kevin Jennings to prove his opponents’ claims true when SMU finally meets Penn State at Beaver Stadium on Saturday.