No. 6 seed Penn State slowed down Boise State’s star running back Ashton Jeanty and turned in a strong ground game of its own to defeat the No. 3 seed Broncos 31-14 Tuesday night in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Fiesta Bowl.
The Nittany Lions now will head to the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9, when they will face the winner of Wednesday’s quarterfinal between Georgia and Notre Dame.
Running back Kaytron Allen led the Penn State offense on Tuesday night in Glendale, rushing 17 times for 134 yards, while Nicholas Singleton added 87 yards and a score on 12 carries. Both eclipsed 1,000 yards for the season.
Drew Allar was 13-25 passing for 171 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to tight end Tyler Warren and one to receiver Omari Evans. Warren, who was named offensive player of the game, had six catches for 63 yards and set a program record for receptions in a season with 98.
Penn State’s defense came into the game — as every Boise State opponent has — focused on stopping Jeanty, and it got the job done. The Heisman runner-up carried 30 times for a season-low 104 yards and an average of 3.5 yards per carry. Jeanty came into the game averaging 192 yards per game and 7.7 yards per carry.
Bronco QB Maddux Madsen passed for 304 yards and a touchdown, but threw three interceptions.
Safety Jaylen Reed led Penn State’s defense with eight tackles and a sack, while defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton had six tackles, 2.5 TFL and a sack. Zakee Wheatley, who was named defensive player of the game, Zion Tracy and Tyrece Mills each had interceptions.
Penn State All-American defensive end Abdul Carter left the game with an injury early in the second quarter and did not return. His status going forward was not immediately clear.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Penn State’s defense kept Ashton Jeanty in check on the game’s opening drive, but Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen’s arm helped move the Broncos downfield. Keyed by passes of 12 and 24 yards, Boise State reached the Penn State 28, but the Nittany Lions forced a fourth down and Bronco kicker Jonah Dalmas’ 45-yard field goal attempt went very wide left.
The Nittany Lion offense leaned heavily on a successful ground game for its opening possession, with six rushes on the first seven plays. Kaytron Allen picked up 42 on three carries and Nick Singleton took three for 13 to get Penn State to the Broncos 11. From there Drew Allar connected with Tyler Warren in the back of the end zone for the game’s first score.
The nine-play, 72-yard drive put Penn State in front 7-0 with 6:40 to go in the first quarter.
Defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton asserted himself on Boise State’s next possession, throwing Jeanty for a 2-yard loss and after an incompletion, sacking Madsen for a 4-yard loss to force a punt.
It didn’t take long for Penn State to get back in the end zone. After a couple strong Allen runs, Allar launched a perfectly thrown 38-yard pass to Omari Evans in stride in the end zone for the Nittany Lions’ second touchdown of the quarter. Penn State led 14-0 with 3:35 left in the first.
Jeanty fumbled on Boise State’s next drive, and Penn State’s Zakee Wheatley recovered it along the sideline at the Nittany Lion 49. But after Allar hit Trey Wallace for a 20-yard gain, the QB turned it back over with a fumble on an apparent mix-up on a handoff.
2nd Quarter
The two sides were largely stagnant on offense on each of their next possessions, trading punts to open the second quarter.
Working with a short field after returning a punt to the their own 48, the Broncos began to put together offensive momentum. Jeanty took three carries for 15 yards (and coughed up a fumble recovered by a teammate) and took a Madsen pass for 18 yards. With Jeanty on the sideline, Madsen found tight end Matt Lauter for a 12-yard gain to the Penn State 8, and fullback Tyler Crowe bulled his way in from there for Boise State’s first score.
The eight-play, 52-yard drive narrowed Penn State’s lead to 14-7 with 8:41 remaining in the half.
Two false starts and a sack had Penn State’s offense in disarray on its next possession, forcing another punt. Boise State fared no better, going three and out after starting on its own 39.
The Nittany Lions’ offensive struggles continued on their next opportunity, with penalties wiping out a 50-yard Allen run and an 11-yard Singleton carry, ultimately forcing another punt with under two minutes remaining.
Penn State got one more shot at a score with just over a minute remaining after forcing a Boise State three and out. Two consecutive first down passes from Allar, including a leaping grab along the sideline by Evans, to get into Bronco territory were followed by a sack and consecutive incompletions. A pass interference all against Boise State on fourth and 10 gave the Nittany Lions new life at the Bronco 23 with 30 seconds remaining. The Nittany Lions couldn’t get anything more, though, and settled for a 40-yard Ryan Barker field goal to close out the half with a 17-7 lead.
The Nittany Lions outgained the Broncos 221 to 147 in the half, holding Jeanty to 39 yards on 13 carries. For Penn State, Allen had 10 carries for 76 yards while Allar was 10-17 for 144 yards.
3rd Quarter
After Penn State went three and out to open the second half, Madsen picked apart the Nittany Lion defense. The Bronco QB completed 17 yard passes to Cameron Camper and Latrell Caples, then exploited broken coverage with a 53-yard scoring throw to Lauter. Boise State cut Penn State’s lead to 17-14 with 11:38 remaining in the third.
The Nittany Lion offense put it together midway through the quarter. Returning to what worked early on, Penn State gave the ball to Allen three times for 36 yards, Singleton ran for 11 more and Allar scrambled for 15. Facing third and 11 from the Boise 13, Allar connected with Warren again in the back of the end zone as the tight end pulled in a jump ball for the touchdown. Penn State pushed its lead back to 10 at 24-14 with 7:22 left in the third.
While the Penn State continued to limit Jeanty, Madsen kept Boise State moving through the air, completing five passes to help get the Broncos to the Penn State 20. A 20-yard catch-and run touchdown by Prince Strachan was wiped out by a hands-to-the-face penalty against Boise State, and linebacker blew up a screen pass to Jeanty for a one-yard loss.
Fourth quarter
Madsen opened the final quarter with a third-and-25 pass down the middle that was intercepted Wheatley to end the Boise State threat and send the Broncos away empty-handed after a seven-minute drive. Penn State, though, couldn’t turn it into points, and punted it back to the Broncos after failing to convert on third and 1.
Boise State advanced as far as the Penn State 11 on the ensuing possession, thanks in part to Jeanty’s 26-yard run on third and 21 and another that broke multiple tackles for 10. An Amin Vanover sack and two incompletions, however, derailed the Broncos’ drive and Dalmas’ 38-yard field goal attempt went wide right, leaving the Penn State lead at 10 with 9:20 left to play.
The Nittany Lions made the Broncos pay this time. Two Allen carries for 19 yards and Allar’s 9-yard pass to Wallace to convert a third down had Penn State on the move. Then Singleton found a crease up the middle and raced 58 yards to the end zone as Penn State took a commanding 31-14 lead with 4:54 to go.
Roughing and pass interference calls against Penn State gave Boise State a couple first downs, but the Bronco offense was otherwise ineffective as the game entered the final minutes. On fourth and 12 from his own 24, Madsen threw his second interception of the day, as Penn State corner Zion Tracy picked off the pass at the Boise State 47 with 3:37 remaining.
Penn State kept to the ground and went three and out, but it was much too late for Boise State. The Broncos put together a late drive and moved to the Penn State 18, but Tyrece Mills picked off Madsen’s pass into the end zone to deny the Broncos once again and seal the 31-14 victory.
