Penn State beats Boise State to advance to College Football Playoff semifinals

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Penn State defenders clogged each gap, stretched out each outdoors run, closed with ferocity.

All over the place 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 have been going towards. We knew we needed to have hats to the ball each single play as a result of each play he may break one,” stated Penn State security Zakee Wheatley, who had an interception and recovered a fumble. “We did that the entire sport.”

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 newest 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 function of underdog, going again to when their model went nationwide within the electrifying 2007 Fiesta Bowl, and so they 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 facet.

After which Penn State turned the tide for good.

Allar threw his second landing go 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 performed an entire sport,” Penn State coach James Franklin stated. “Our offense, protection and particular groups, we performed complementary soccer, did some particular issues.”

Penn State did it by controlling the road of scrimmage on either side of the ball a lot 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 in need of Barry Sanders’ single-season NCAA report set in 1988 at Oklahoma State.

“They’ve an important D-line, entrance seven,” Jeanty stated. “It wasn’t actually extraordinary. The executed, they tackled and we did not play our greatest.”

Penn State’s protection was dominant a lot of the night time, however its offense was simply pretty much as good, notably on the bottom.

The Nittany Lions ran for 216 yards, together with 134 by Kaytron Allen and 87 by Singleton. Allar was regular after going through criticism a lot of the season, throwing for 171 yards on 13-of-25 passing.

He was notably 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 is not one thing anyone actually needs to be in,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson stated.

The Broncos, as they at all times appear to, fought again to present themselves an opportunity.

Boise State bought again in it by getting stress on Allar, placing a halt to Penn State’s marches down the sphere, and bought an enormous momentum enhance 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 minimize 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 area purpose try, leaving the Broncos in need of the CFP semifinals.

“Lots of people counted us out and we got here up a pair performs brief,” Danielson stated.

Penn State will play No. 2 Georgia or No. 3 Notre Dame within the Jan. 9 Orange Bowl.

Boise State opens the 2025 season Aug. 30 at South Florida.