DeLuca went from walk-on to captain with the Nittany Lions. 'You can't help but love Dom,' Penn State DC Tom Allen said.

These are arguably the top 10 Penn State plays of this season going into the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against Boise State Tuesday night in the Fiesta Bowl:

Penn State made a decisive early move against SMU last week, leaving its offense on the field for a pivotal 4th-and-1 attempt from its own 19-yard line. The conversion fell short, primarily because of a misplayed snap, and the Mustangs took over down 14-0 in prime position to reframe the game.

No. 6 seed Penn State used two first-half interception returns for touchdowns to jumpstart a 38-10 blowout of No. 11 seed SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions will move on to meet No. 3 seed Boise State in the first Playoff quarterfinal at the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

For all of James Franklin's success at Penn State -- and he's had plenty of it -- there's been a prevailing narrative that the 11th year coach cannot deliver in crucial moments. The ironic moniker "Big Game James" has been thrown around to ridicule his efforts against top competition,

Penn State scored twice on interception returns to key a defeat of SMU in the College Football Playoff. Up next is Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.

For the first time in program history, Penn State is moving on in the College Football Playoff. The (6) Nittany Lions punched their ticket to a showdown against (3) Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl quarterfinal on Dec. 31 with a dominant 38-10 win against (11) SMU on Saturday.

Dominic DeLuca and Tony Rojas returned interceptions for touchdowns and Penn State toyed with mistake-prone SMU in a 38-10 victory in the opening round of the College Football Playoff.