GLENDALE, Ariz. — Penn State defenders clogged each gap, stretched out each exterior run, closed with ferocity.
In all places that Ashton Jeanty turned, he bumped into Nittany Lions.
The Heisman Trophy runner-up nonetheless went over 100 yards, however he positive needed to work for it.
Drew Allar threw three landing passes and No. 5 Penn State bottled up Jeanty for a 31-14 win over No. 8 Boise State within the Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday night time, incomes a spot within the School Soccer 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,” stated Penn State security 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) opened their first CFP berth with a blowout win over SMU and appeared headed towards the most recent lopsided victory within the new 12-team format by leaping out to a 14-0 lead towards Boise State.
However the Broncos (12-2, CFP No. 3 seed) have relished the position of underdog, going again to when their model went nationwide within the electrifying 2007 Fiesta Bowl, they usually had a solution.
Boise State galloped again from the early deficit, trimming the margin to 17-14 early within the third quarter, momentum seemingly on its aspect.
After which Penn State turned the tide for good.
Allar threw his second landing cross of the night time to John Mackey Award winner Tyler Warren, and Nick Singleton burst up the center for a 58-yard TD run, sending the Nittany Lions to the Jan. 9 Orange Bowl towards No. 2 Georgia or No. 3 Notre Dame.
“We played a complete game,” Penn State coach James Franklin stated. “Our offense, defense and special teams, we played complementary football, did some special things.”
Penn State did it by controlling the road of scrimmage on either side of the ball many of the night time and hounding Jeanty at each flip.
The AP first-team All-America choice completed with a season-low 104 yards on 30 carries, simply 3.5 yards per carry — half his season averaged. Jeanty completed 27 yards wanting Barry Sanders’ single-season NCAA file set in 1988 at Oklahoma State.
“They have a great D-line, front seven,” Jeanty stated. “It wasn’t really extraordinary. They executed, they tackled and we didn’t play our best.”
Penn State’s protection was dominant many of the night time, however its offense was simply nearly as good, significantly on the bottom.
The Nittany Lions ran for 216 yards, together with 134 by Kaytron Allen and 87 by Singleton. Allar was regular after dealing with criticism many of the season, throwing for 171 yards on 13-of-25 passing.
He was significantly sharp early, discovering Warren behind the tip zone for an 11-yard landing, then Omari Evans in stride for a 38-yard rating for a two-touchdown lead.
“Being 14-0, that isn’t something anybody really wants to be in,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson stated. The Broncos, as they all the time appear to, fought again to provide themselves an opportunity.“A lot of people counted us out and we came up a couple plays short,” Danielson stated.
Boise State bought again in it by getting stress on Allar, placing a halt to Penn State’s marches down the sector, and bought an enormous momentum increase when Allar fumbled two performs after Jeanty misplaced his third fumble of the season.
With Jeanty surrounded on practically each play, Boise State turned to Tyler Crowe and the fullback took a number of Nittany Lions with him for an 8-yard landing run that lower Penn State’s lead in half.
The comeback appeared to nonetheless be in attain with Matt Lauter’s 53-yard TD catch within the third quarter, however the Broncos ran out of solutions after that.
Maddux Madsen threw three interceptions and Jonah Dalmas missed his second subject purpose try, leaving the Broncos wanting the CFP semifinals.
