Skip to main content
Join Now
Get a profile. Be recruited.

Rhett Lashlee downplays the impact of weather in Penn State game

FaceProfileby: Thomas Goldkamp12/23/24
Southern Methodist Mustangs head coach Rhett Lashlee gestures from the sideline during the first quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the first round of the College Football Playoff at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images
Southern Methodist Mustangs head coach Rhett Lashlee gestures from the sideline during the first quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the first round of the College Football Playoff at Beaver Stadium. (Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images)

One of the factors most watched in the first round of the College Football Playoff was the location of the games themselves. Penn State hosted SMU, forcing a good deal of travel for the Mustangs.

Potentially more importantly, the weather was a stark shift from what SMU was used to.

Get your team’s official College Football Playoff watch from AXIA by CLICKING HERE: “Watches that tell so much more than time”

Game-time temperatures were around 27 degrees, with winds checking in around 12 miles per hour. That made for an incredibly cold environment.

So what kind of impact did that have on the game at Penn State?

“I think none whatsoever,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said after the game. “Both teams played in the same weather on the same field. Their punter missed a few punts early, our punter missed a punt. We have a kicker who has a strong leg, had a short kick because he missed it.”

Whether the weather played a factor or not was mostly irrelevant by the end of the first half.

Penn State opened up a 28-0 lead and was able to cruise throughout the rest of the contest, never really breaking a sweat in the College Football Playoff contest.

Still, Lashlee refused to make excuses after the game.

“Both teams played in it,” Lashlee said. “I don’t think weather had anything to do with anything.”

Neither team produced a ton of offense in the contest. Penn State finished with 325 total yards, while SMU collected 253 total yards.

At the end of the day, Penn State prevailed 38-10 and advanced to the next round of the playoffs. It’ll meet Boise State now in the quarterfinal round on Dec. 31.