Both Penn State and Boise State entered the Fiesta Bowl undefeated in this particular bowl, with a combined record of 10-0. Penn State won the 1986 National Championship there. Boise State won perhaps the biggest game of the program’s history (to this point) by beating Oklahoma there. In this year’s Fiesta Bowl, Penn State runs over Boise State 31-14 to advance to the College Football Playoffs (CFP) Semifinals.
Similar to how Penn State jumped ahead early last week in the Round One win over SMU, the Nittany Lions again dominated early in the Fiesta Bowl. Penn State built a 14-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. However, the game was far from over. Penn State let Boise State back in the game, got too cute with play calling, and let the Broncos stick around before finally putting the game away. Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty did show his impressive skills for Boise State in this game, but ironically Penn State’s running game proved to be the difference. Despite playing most of the game without stalwart Abdul Carter, Penn State’s defense controlled Boise State’s offense.
Key Takeaways: Penn State Runs Over Boise State to Advance to CFP Semifinals
The Fiesta Bowl showcased two of the game’s biggest stars. Boise State’s Jeanty came into the Fiesta Bowl 132 yards away from breaking the single-season rushing record, held by Barry Sanders. On the Penn State side, defensive end Carter headlined coordinator Tom Allen’s defense. Carter does not lack in either talent or confidence. The Fiesta Bowl was expected to be a showdown of these stars. However, neither of these players had as much of an impact on the outcome as expected. Jeanty was bottled up by Penn State’s defense for most of the game, while Carter was injured in the first half and did not return.
In-Game Over-Adjustments
Penn State’s coaching staff has been good at making necessary in-game adjustments. However, in the Fiesta Bowl, the Penn State staff over-adjusted. On offense, the Nittany Lions curiously veered from their bread and butter, despite the running game working time and time again. On defense, Penn State watched Boise State reorient to a passing attack with some success while shutting down Jeanty.
Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki has been creative all season. In the Fiesta Bowl, the running game worked, driven primarily by Kaytron Allen‘s power running style. However, Penn State mixed in more passes than needed. Boise State’s pass rush is one of the nation’s best. In the Fiesta Bowl, quarterback Drew Allar frequently scrambled, and dove forward leading with his shoulder. After Beau Pribula left the program, eventually transferring to Missouri, Allar’s backup is true freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer. The risk in Allar’s scrambles is obvious. Fortunately for Penn State, Mackey Award winner and Offensive Player of the Game Tyler Warren remained a focal point through the game. When looking to eat clock in the fourth quarter, Penn State went back to the run. Nick Singleton produced a 58-yard touchdown run to effectively end the game.
On the defensive side, Penn State was almost solely focused on stopping Jeanty. However, that focus on the run, as well as the loss of Carter to injury, led Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson and offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter to let quarterback Maddux Madsen loose. Madsen was very accurate and kept his team in the game until the fourth quarter. The pass rush clearly struggled without Carter, though Defensive Player of the Game Zakee Wheatley came through with a huge interception early in the fourth quarter to bail out the pass rush a bit.
Jeanty Bottled Up by Penn State’s Defense
There was never any doubt that Boise State was going to feature Jeanty in their offense. However, something happened in the Fiesta Bowl. Franklin spoke before the game about neutralizing Jeanty, saying Penn State needed to “overload the box with numbers and gang tackle.” Jeanty was effectively neutralized and forced Danielson and Koetter to find offense elsewhere.
Jeanty came into the game with the single-season rushing record within reach, which he did not achieve. After accumulating 344 carries entering this game, he had three weeks off and commented that he felt fresh and well-rested. However, he looked more rusty than well-rested. Most glaring for Boise State, Jeanty fumbled only twice for the season coming in but fumbled twice in the first half of the Fiesta Bowl.
Jeanty finished with 104 yards on 30 carries with no touchdowns. His highlight was a 26-yard run on 3rd-and-21. Given Penn State’s focus on shutting down Jeanty and the absence of Carter due to injury, Boise State opened up the passing game. Despite that, Jeanty still produced over 100 yards and ran hard all game. As evidence, there were multiple Penn State defenders who either hobbled off the field or were injured. However, in the end, Penn State emerged victorious, and as Franklin said after the game “We did a tremendous job against one of the best running backs in the history of college football.”
By the Numbers: Penn State Runs Over Boise State to Advance to CFP Semifinals
Offense
Passing: Penn State threw for 171 yards, compared to 304 for Boise State. Drew Allar completed 13 of 25 for 171 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. For Boise State, Madsen completed 23 of 35 for 304 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions.
Rushing: Penn State had 216 yards, compared to 108 yards for Boise State. Allen led Penn State, and all players, with 134 rushing yards on 17 carries. Singleton added 87 yards on 12 carries, adding a touchdown. Boise State was led by Jeanty, who had 104 yards on 30 carries. Tyler Crowe rushed one time, which was an eight-yard touchdown.
Receiving: Warren led Penn State with 63 yards on six catches with two touchdowns. Omari Evans added two receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown. For Boise State, Matt Lauter led the team with a game-high 96 yards on four receptions with a touchdown. Cameron Camper had three catches for 66 yards.
Defense/Special Teams
Defense: Kobe King and Jaylen Reed had eight tackles each to lead Penn State. Reed, Amin Vanover, and Dani Dennis-Sutton each had a sack. Additionally, Wheatley, Zion Tracey, and Tyrece Mills had an interception each, while Wheatley also recovered a fumble. Ty Benefield led Boise State with a game-high nine tackles, while Alexander Teubner and Ahmed Hassanein had a sack each. Marco Notarainni, Andrew Simpson, Max Stege, and Michael Callahan each had a half-sack. Boise State’s fumble recovery was by Seyi Oladipo.
Special Teams: For Penn State, Ryan Barker converted his only field goal attempt. He converted all four of his extra-point attempts. Riley Thompson punted six times, averaging 47.2 yards per punt. For Boise State, Jonah Dalmas missed both of his field goal attempts, but successfully converted both of his extra-point tries. James Ferguson-Reynolds punted four times, averaging 40.8 yards per punt.
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