Penn State’s defenders blocked every opening, stretched out every run to the outside, and closed in aggressively.
Every time Ashton Jeanty tried to move, he ran into Penn State players. Despite being the Heisman Trophy runner-up, Jeanty still managed to rush for over 100 yards, but it was a hard-earned effort.
Drew Allar threw three touchdown passes, and No. 5 Penn State shut down Jeanty, winning 31-14 against No. 8 Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday. This victory earned them a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
“We knew who we were going against. We knew we had to have hats to the ball every single play because every play he could break one,” said Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley, who had an interception and recovered a fumble. “We did that the whole game.”
The Nittany Lions (13-2, CFP No. 6 seed) began their first CFP appearance with a dominant win over SMU and seemed on track for another big win by taking a 14-0 lead against Boise State.
However, Boise State (12-2, CFP No. 3 seed), known for its underdog spirit since the famous 2007 Fiesta Bowl, quickly bounced back.
Boise State closed the gap, bringing the score to 17-14 early in the third quarter, gaining momentum. But Penn State responded decisively.
Allar threw his second touchdown pass of the night to Tyler Warren, and Nick Singleton ran for a 58-yard touchdown, sealing the win for Penn State, who will play in the Orange Bowl against No. 2 Georgia or No. 3 Notre Dame.
“We played a complete game,” said Penn State coach James Franklin. “Our offense, defense, and special teams, we played complementary football, did some special things.”
Penn State dominated both the offense and defense throughout the night, especially when it came to controlling the line of scrimmage and shutting down Jeanty.
Jeanty, an AP first-team All-American, finished with just 104 yards on 30 carries, averaging only 3.5 yards per carry, which was half of his season average. He fell 27 yards short of breaking Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record set in 1988 at Oklahoma State.
“They have a great D-line, front seven,” Jeanty said. “It wasn’t really extraordinary. They executed, they tackled, and we didn’t play our best.”
While Penn State’s defense was strong, their offense was just as effective, particularly in the run game.
The Nittany Lions ran for 216 yards, with Kaytron Allen rushing for 134 yards and Nick Singleton adding 87 yards. Allar, who had faced criticism during the season, was steady, completing 13 of 25 passes for 171 yards.
He was especially accurate early on, throwing a touchdown to Warren and another to Omari Evans, giving Penn State a two-touchdown lead.
“Being 14-0, that isn’t something anybody really wants to be in,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said.
As they often do, Boise State fought back. They pressured Allar, slowing down Penn State’s drives, and got a big break when Allar fumbled right after Jeanty lost his third fumble of the season.
With Jeanty tightly guarded, Boise State turned to fullback Tyler Crowe, who carried several Penn State defenders into the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown, cutting the lead in half. The Broncos seemed to be back in the game after Matt Lauter’s 53-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter, but they couldn’t keep up.
Maddux Madsen threw three interceptions, and Jonah Dalmas missed his second field goal attempt, leaving Boise State short of the CFP semifinals.
“A lot of people counted us out, and we came up a couple plays short,” Danielson said.
