In a time of incessant change, Penn State linebacker Dominic DeLuca is a throwback.

The former walk-on’s team might be one too.

DeLuca was guaranteed nothing when he arrived on campus nearly four years ago without the promise of a scholarship or much of anything else. He poured himself into his craft, carving out a niche as a special teams ace while working his way into the rotation on a defense that considers itself the best in the country.

With sixth-seeded Penn State off to a somewhat jittery start on Saturday against SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff, the Nittany Lions needed a jolt.

DeLuca provided two.

The first came on a pick-6 that gave Penn State an early lead. The second cut short an SMU drive when the Mustangs were threatening to get back in the game and set the stage for a 38-10 blowout that pushed the Nittany Lions (12-2) into the CFP quarterfinals against third-seeded Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

“Dom is just a baller,” Penn State coach James Franklin said after picking up his 100th victory with the school.

Linebacker Tony Rojas added a pick-6 of his own and Penn State shut down Kevin Jennings and the high-powered Mustangs (11-3), whose breakout season ended amid a flurry of mistakes and miscues and did little to shed the notion — particularly by those in Alabama — that the ACC runners-up didn’t necessarily deserve a spot in the 12-team field in the first place.

“I can’t control the debate,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. “I can’t control what people are going to say. We got in. Today we got beat. We got beat soundly by a very good team.”

Two weeks after getting pushed around by Oregon in the Big Ten title game, Penn State responded by forcing three turnovers and collecting three sacks while holding the Mustangs to season lows in points and yards (253).

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.

Kaytron Allen ran for two scores and Nick Singleton added another for the Nittany Lions, a bruising 1-yard gash late in the first half that put Penn State up 28-0. Singleton punctuated it by jawing with Franklin on the sideline.

“He screamed at me and used some words ... and said ‘I’m a violent man,’” Franklin said. “I kind of agreed with him.”

Texas 38, Clemson 24 >> Jaydon Blue ran 146 yards and two touchdowns, the last a 77-yard burst in the fourth quarter, and Texas beat Clemson 38-24 on Saturday in the first round of the expanded College Football Playoff.

Blue’s fourth-quarter touchdown came after Clemson rallied from down 31-10 to 31-24 on Cade Klubnik’s third touchdown pass.

Texas (12-2) advanced to the Jan. 1 Peach bowl to play Big 12 champion Arizona State.

Blue also scored on 38-yard cut-and-dash burst in the second quarter. On his second, he dove into the line, shook a tackler, and then outraced three more to the end zone with just 11 minutes left.

Quintrevion Wisner added 110 yards rushing and two first-half touchdowns for Texas. Quinn Ewers passed for 202 yards and a touchdown.

Klubnik, who grew up in Austin, passed for 336 yards and rallied the Tigers (10-4) in the second half against a Texas defense that had given up just four passing touchdowns all season.

FCS semifinals

North Dakota State 28, South Dakota State 21 >> Bryce Lance caught three touchdown passes from Cam Miller, including a one-handed game-winner, to give North Dakota State a win over two-time defending national champion South Dakota State and a berth in the FCS title game.

The second-seeded Bison (13-2) will take on top-seeded Montana State for the championship on Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas.

NDSU, winner of nine FCS titles with its last coming in 2021, won its 20th straight home playoff game and beat the Jackrabbits for the second time this season. Those two teams and South Dakota tied for the Missouri Valley Football Conference title.

Montana State 31, South Dakota 17 >> Tommy Mellott rushed for two touchdowns and passed for another to lead Montana State to a victory over South Dakota.

The top-seeded Bobcats (15-0) only FCS title came in 1984 when they beat Louisiana Tech 19-6. NDSU defeated Montana State 38-10 for the 2021 championship.