TNT analysts Champ Bailey and Takeo Spikes believe Penn State will defend its home turf vs. SMU
Bailey and Spikes, longtime NFL players who joined TNT Sports earlier this season to be in-studio analysts for the Mountain West, previewed the first-round playoff matchup in Happy Valley.
![Quarterback Drew Allar and Penn State will play SMU on Saturday in a College Football Playoff game.](https://www.inquirer.com/resizer/v2/WZVOCDG7QQKAT4I2RNMB4SIRDY.jpg?auth=fedbc32b1530ace16154d90a9f86bd1fbe560e09c583b7ed183c8e3c9f918467&width=760&height=507&smart=true)
For the first time since the 2006 season, TNT Sports, owned by Turner Broadcasting, will televise a college football game. The network will air two College Football Playoff first-round games on Saturday, starting with No. 6 seed Penn State hosting 11th seed SMU (noon, TNT/Max), followed by fifth-seeded Texas hosting 12th-seeded Clemson (4 p.m., TNT/Max). ESPN, which owns the television rights to the CFP, sublicensed two games to TNT Sports for the next five years.
TNT’s pregame show, College Football Playoff Kickoff, starts at 11 a.m. and will be hosted by Adam Lefkoe, NFL Hall of Famer Champ Bailey, two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Takeo Spikes, and former New York Giants star Victor Cruz.
» READ MORE: Penn State’s prep for SMU shaken a bit by quarterback developments
“I’m still learning a lot more about SMU, because first time I saw them was against Clemson, and I liked what I saw [from SMU] in the second half,” Bailey said Monday during a media call. “One thing that stands out to me is that Penn State is solid on defense, and they’re good at home. I know they lost a tough one to Ohio State, but one thing about them, they’ve been a second-half team.”
Said Spikes: “I’m actually going through that tape now. But a few things that really stick out to me. The [SMU] quarterback, Kevin Jennings; the strength of [SMU], especially on the defensive side, is the running defense. They only allowed more than 4 yards per carry in just one of their 13 games. So whenever you play great defense like that, you’re forcing people to beat you throughout the game.”
Bailey was a standout defensive back at Georgia who played 15 NFL seasons with Washington and Denver. Spikes a star linebacker at Auburn who played for several NFL teams, including the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, and one season with the Eagles in 2007. Both joined TNT sports this summer as a in-studio analysts.
Both believe Penn State, an 8.5-point favorite on FanDuel ahead of Saturday’s game, should take care of business in front of its home crowd. Both teams are 11-2.
“The pressure is on Penn State to be able to come in and win this first home game and just show people that even though they had a hiccup, we still know that [Penn State] has a very good path when you look at the big picture as far as can they advance to the semifinals and then the championship,” Spikes said.
Bailey said: “For me, I don’t see how Penn State drops the ball here on the biggest stage of the year. You got your first playoff game at home. You got to take care of home, so I expect them to take care of this game.”
Must-win for Franklin?
In 11 seasons with the Nittany Lions, coach James Franklin is 1-14 against top-five teams in the AP rankings and 3-19 against teams ranked inside the top 10. He has lost to Ohio State in the teams’ last eight matchups.
While Spikes characterized Penn State’s matchup against SMU as a “must-win,” Bailey took it a step further.
“You’re telling me you’re going to have SMU come to Happy Valley and you [potentially] drop the ball like that? That’s completely unacceptable,” Bailey said. “I mean, it’s bad enough they had Ohio State against the ropes and they dropped that one. Had another chance because Michigan beats Ohio State and you get in the championship game, and you dropped that. Now we going for the trifecta. You got to win this game. …
“You play SMU, then potentially Boise State, two teams that nobody had in the playoffs at the beginning of the season. So this is it for Franklin. He’s been great. He’s won some games. When it comes down to these big ones, these must-wins, you got to have it, and nobody’s going to give him a pass.”
» READ MORE: What awaits Penn State in its playoff test with SMU? Here’s the rundown on the high-scoring Mustangs.
Spikes said Penn State’s running game will be key in controlling the game against SMU, which ranks No. 4 in rushing defense nationally. That should open up opportunities for Mackey Award-winning tight end Tyler Warren in the play-action passing game.