UNIVERSITY PARK — Few bettors would have lined up for the proposition of Penn State marching to a lopsided victory in the College Football Playoff with under 150 passing yards and zero touchdowns through the air.

Yet, while quarterback Drew Allar was limited to 127 passing yards and did not throw a touchdown for the first time in six weeks, the No. 6 Nittany Lions still managed to dominate No. 11 SMU, 38-10, on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.

Making up for a weak pass game was the defense’s three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns, as well as Penn State running the ball with near impunity.

After the win, which sent the Nittany Lions to the CFP quarterfinals, where they’ll meet No. 3 Boise State on Tuesday in the Fiesta Bowl, Allar shouldered some of the blame for the modest offensive output.

“At the end of the day, we weren’t executing the play calls that were there,” Allar said. “I had plenty of missed throws in the first quarter that I need to hit and get the ball to the playmakers in space and allow them to show off their abilities. It’s something that we have to get better at. … We’ll get those things fixed, no doubt about it.”

Coordinator Andy Kotelnicki was more forgiving of Allar.

“Yes, weather conditions (weren’t) great, not optimal to rip it around,” Kotelnicki said. “That’s playoff football. That’s the way it is. But there’s no excuses to really not execute in any capacity. But I will tell you one thing that’s not going to show up on the stats is how many times (Allar) is our leader and the straw that stirs the drink.”

The overwhelming defensive performance and solid outings from tailbacks Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton more than made up for the passing game.

The junior running backs split the load, with Allen rushing 11 times for 70 yards and two touchdowns, compared to Singleton’s 14 carries for 90 yards and a score.

Both averaged 6.4 yards per carry, gradually wearing down an SMU run defense that arrived in Happy Valley ranked in the top 20 nationally.

“(Singleton and Allen) are fast, they’re big, they’re both 220-pound backs and they’re violent,” said coach James Franklin. “They’re playing behind an offensive line that takes a ton of pride in doing their jobs for them, so it’s cool. I love to see all these guys get opportunities to make plays, win and have success because they work so hard.”

The day certainly did not begin on a domineering offensive note for the Nittany Lions, who punted on their first two possessions, running 11 total plays for 35 yards.

In the cold, windy environment at Beaver Stadium, Franklin opted to go for a first-quarter fourth-and-13 from SMU’s 29-yard line instead of sending Ryan Barker out for a field goal that would have been about 47 yards.

That attempt was unsuccessful, as was a fourth-and-2 from Penn State’s 19-yard line in the second quarter.

However, the Nittany Lions’ early offensive struggles proved to be a nonissue, with the defensive touchdowns and interceptions providing a comfortable cushion.

Penn State eventually woke up offensively, embarking on four effective scoring drives for 24 points in the second and third quarters before finishing the game with 325 total yards.

“Took us a little time to get going on offense, specifically in the run game,” Franklin said. “But then we got it going. … We got a team win, led from our defense in the beginning of the game, but by the end of the game, it was a team win: offense, defense and special teams.”

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