Boise State Offensive Coordinator Dirk Kötter watched a lot Records a coaching career that spanned college and the NFL and dates back to the 1980s. The Broncos’ first-year game director, who was the program’s head coach from 1998 to 2000, had plenty of time to review Penn State film as the Mountain West Conference champions earned a bye in the first round of the College Football Playoff and So last week the Nittany Lions defeated SMU in a first-round game at Beaver Stadium. And not surprisingly, he’s impressed with what defensive coordinator Tom Allen brings to the Fiesta Bowl, nodding in agreement when asked if the Lions have an NFL-caliber defense.

“They should have NFL talent: This is Penn State,” Koetter said. “I mean, they recruit at the highest level. And you know, they’re in one of the top conferences. They recruit people who believe they have a future in the NFL. And it is displayed. You got them.

“They don’t let you score. I mean, they’re sixth in the nation in scoring. So top 10 in scoring (defense), fifth in fewest touchdowns, fourth in yards allowed, fifth in tackles for loss, third in rush TDs allowed, twelfth in first downs per game and third in touchdown percentage in the red zone. I mean, they’re good, they have good numbers and they’re not fakes. It’s all on tape.”

Read on to find out everything else Koetter said about Penn State.

On Penn State All-American defensive end Abdul Carter

“He’s really talented,” Koetter said. “I think most people have put him in the top five and that certainly wouldn’t be surprising. You can really see that it’s his linebacker training where he was already passing the ball a year ago and now he’s playing with the ball, even though they’re moving him, the guy can really make up ground. He has a really nice spin move. He joins the quarterback, he can turn the corner. And he’s not their only good rusher. You have more than one.”

What has caused problems for the Nittany Lions in their two losses so far this season?

“They played against really good teams,” Kötter said. “We all saw Oregon firsthand. And that was a close game. That went all the way to the cable. I find Dillon Gabriel is probably the best quarterback in the country. I think he’s perfect for what Oregon does on offense. Oregon set a lot of pace against them. They ran a lot of unbalanced sets where everyone was on the same page. I’m not necessarily saying it caused them problems. I’m just saying Oregon did this, and Oregon does this to everyone. Oregon is one of the teams that can match Penn State’s speed, and Penn State has excellent speed. As we know, Oregon has great speed.

“In the Ohio State game, Ohio State just played a really solid game and I think Ohio State can keep up with them physically. I’m talking to the part I’m watching, the Ohio State offense against the Penn State defense. It was more of a power game, a little less of a speed game. Ohio State made no mistakes. Ohio State did a good job running the ball. They did it when it was necessary and in the situations where it was necessary. For example, she handled the four-minute offensive well. But yes, they are the two teams that beat them. They were close games and they were good teams that beat them.”

On the Nittany Lions defensive line

“Yeah, I would say this is the best D-line,” Koetter said. “You’re right where Oregon is. And it’s just been a long time since I attended Oregon. But they are right there. First of all, I think they have four defensive ends. Penn State has four defensive ends that I think could start for almost any team, 11 (Abdul Carter, 33 (Dani Dennis-Sutton), 92 (Smith Vilbert) and 15 (Amin Vanover), and they play against them often. They Play All four of these guys like to play three at a time.

“But 28 (Zane Durant), inside, man, I would love to be that guy’s agent. Converted high school running back. He plays defensive tackle for them. He has a crazy combination of speed and power and I think this guy is very disruptive from the inside out. So, yes, we know we have our hands full on this front and they have wreaked havoc on many teams. It will be crucial for the game if we can neutralize this front.”