The No. 3 Boise State Broncos and Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty had a lot of attention before the New Year’s Eve Fiesta Bowl showdown with the No.6 Penn State Nittany Lions.
However, from the start of the game until the final whistle, Penn State was in total control and dominated in the trenches to pull out the 31-14 victory in the first of four college football playoff quarterfinal matchups.
The Nittany Lions improve to 13-2 overall on the season and will advance to the CFP semifinals at the Orange Bowl on January 9 against the Georgia and Notre Dame winner.
After a 45-yard missed field goal by Boise State on their first offensive possession, Penn State made a statement on their opening 9-play 72-yard scoring drive. James Franklin and his Nittany Lions wanted to establish the running game, and that is exactly what they did.
The running back duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen and Penn State’s big offensive line combined for 53 rushing yards on five carries. The Nittany Lions capped off the drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Drew Allar to All-American tight end Tyler Warren.
On Boise State’s second offensive drive, Penn State shut down Jeanty, and the Broncos were forced to punt after three plays.
Penn State went back to work on their next offensive possession. Allar finished a 5-play scoring drive with a 38-yard touchdown pass to Omari Evans. The Nittany Lions took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
Franklin and his team were on a roll at the end of the first quarter. The Penn State defense stopped the Broncos on their first four possessions and held Jeanty to 20 yards on eight carries, including a forced fumble.
In the 2nd quarter, Jeanty and the Broncos got back on track. Jeanty had a 6-yard run, an 18-yard catch, and another 6-yard run. Quarterback Maddux Madsen connected with Matt Lauter on a 12-yard pass, and then Tyler Crowe finished the scoring drive with an 8-yard touchdown run. Boise State trailed 14-7 with 8:47 left before halftime.
Boise State and Penn State’s defenses forced the other to punt on the next two offensive possessions. Penn State converted on their last drive before halftime with a Ryan Barker 40-yard field goal. The Nittany Lions went into halftime with a 17-7 lead.
Boise State started the 3rd quarter with a defensive stop and followed that up with a 53-yard touchdown pass from Madsen to Lauter. After this 5-play 83-yard scoring drive, the Broncos cut the lead to 17-14.
From this point forward, Penn State stepped up big on both sides of the ball. The Nittany Lions answered back with an 11-play, 75-yard scoring drive. Allen and Singleton continued to dominate in the running game, and Allar found Warren on a 13-yard strike in the back of the endzone for his third touchdown pass and second to Warren. The Nittany Lions increased their lead to 24-14.
To close out the rest of the game, the Penn State defense forced three Madsen interceptions, and the Broncos missed a 38-yard field goal. Zakee Wheatley, Tyrece Mills, and Zion Tracy had interceptions for the Nittany Lions.
With 4:54 remaining in the 4th quarter, Singleton ran 53 yards for Penn State’s last touchdown. The Nittany Lions went up 31-14 and held on for the victory.
Ashton Jeanty finished the game with 30 carries for 104 rushing yards. He was 26 yards shy of breaking Barry Sander’s single-season rushing record. Jeanty averaged over 7 yards per carry coming into the game. Penn State was able to contain him and the Bronco’s offense.
Madsen completed 22-of-35 passes for 304 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. The turnovers were costly for the Broncos.
For Penn State and their running game, Allen rushed for a game-high 134 yards on 17 carries, and Singleton added 87 yards on 12 carries. Both Allen and Singleton surpassed the 1,000-yard mark on the season with their performance in the Fiesta Bowl.
Tyler Warren finished the game with six catches for 63 yards and two touchdowns. He moved past Allen Robinson as the single-season reception leader in Penn State history with 98 catches. Omari Evans had three catches for 55 yards and one touchdown. Drew Allar completed 13-of-25 for 171 passing yards and three touchdown passes.
Jaylen Reed and Kobe King led Penn State on defense with eight tackles each. Dani Dennis-Sutton had six tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.
Penn State will await the winner of the Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame.
