Penn State ran for 216 yards, with Kaytron Allen leading the way with 134 yards on 17 carries, and Boise State couldn’t overcome late miscues as the No. 6-seeded Nittany Lions (13-2) defeated No. 3 Boise State 31-14 in the Fiesta Bowl as part of the College Football Playoff on Tuesday, Dec. 31, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Here’s three takeaways for Boise State (12-2) from the game.
Ashton Jeanty Falls Short Of The Record
Heisman finalist and Boise State star running back Ashton Jeanty was mostly contained as he ran for 104 yards on 30 carries. He fell just short of setting the FBS single-season rushing yards record set by Barry Sanders.
He had 2,497 yards going into the game. Sanders ran for 2,628 at Oklahoma State in 1988.
Penn State’s rushing defense was stout all day and clearly committed to stopping Jeanty. Boise State as a whole averaged 2.8 yards per carry.
“They have a great D-line, front seven,” Jeanty said. “I mean, it wasn’t really that they did anything extraordinary. They executed. They tackled. We didn’t play our best. I didn’t take care of the ball. So that’s why we weren’t able to get the job done.”
Maddux Madsen’s Play Stands Out
While Penn State was certainly focused on containing Jeanty, Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen made some incredible throws.
He was 23-of-35 passing for 304 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. That stat line doesn’t quite encapsulate the performance Madsen had, though.
Usually under pressure, and often on the run, Madsen time and again made correct reads and delivered on-point passes.
His best find of the evening was on a playaction throw on first and 10 early in the third quarter when he rolled to his right and found a wide-open Matt Lauter for the Broncos’ second touchdown of the day which cut Penn State’s lead to three points.
Again, he wasn’t perfect. But Madsen was one of the main reasons the game was competitive in the second half.
“This is a resilient team,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said. “We talked even throughout the week that we knew we were playing a really good football team in Penn State, and they deserve a ton of credit. They’re very well-coached. We knew we were going to have to respond. That’s football. It’s not about just capitalizing when things are going well. It’s about responding when things don’t. We knew we were going to get punched in the mouth. We had to respond and keep swinging, and our team did that.”
Boise State’s Defensive Pressure Gets Home
While Penn State’s rushing attack was effective, Boise State’s pass rush was successful against Drew Allar and the Nittany Lions’ passing game.
The Broncos totaled four sacks. Alexander Teubner and Ahmed Hassanein each had one sack.
Allar was rarely given time to throw aside from those sacks, though. He had three touchdowns, but he completed 13 of 25 passes for 171 yards and finished with minus-four rushing yards.
Hassanein limped onto the stage during the postgame press conference and dealt with injuries throughout the contest. But he didn’t want to leave the game because he felt his teammates needed him.
“I wanted to go out with my teammates,” Hassanein said. “No matter what happens, win, lose, or draw, I want to go out with my teammates. I just love them. I wish I had one more week with them. I wasn’t just going to take it off. I love this team. I’ll do whatever it takes. I will die for this team.”
