GLENDALE, Ariz. – Penn State defenders clogged every hole, stretched every outside run and finished with ferocity.

Everywhere Ashton Jeanty turned he encountered the Nittany Lions. The Heisman Trophy runner-up still managed more than 100 yards, but he had to work for it.

Drew Allar threw three touchdown passes and No. 5 Penn State Jeanty beat No. 8 Boise State 31-14 in the Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday night to clinch a spot in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.

“We knew who we were going to play against. We knew we had to keep our hat on the ball every single play because every play he could break one,” said Penn State safety 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 to be on their way to the latest lopsided win in the new 12-team format, with Boise State took a 14-0 lead over SMU.

But the Broncos (12-2, CFP No. 3 seed) have relished the role of underdogs since their brand became nationally known in the electrifying 2007 Fiesta Bowl, and they had an answer.

Boise State recovered from the early deficit and cut the lead to 17-14 early in the third quarter, momentum appearing to be on their side.

And then Penn State finally turned the tide.

Allar threw his second touchdown pass of the night to John Mackey Award winner Tyler Warren, and Nick Singleton burst up the middle for a 58-yard TD run, sending the Nittany Lions to the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9 against No .2 Georgia or No. 3 Notre Dame.

“We played a complete game,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “Our offense, defense and special teams, we played complementary football, did some special things.”

Penn State did it by controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball most of the night and stalking Jeanty at every turn.

The AP first-team All-America selection finished the season with a season-low 104 yards on 30 carries, just 3.5 yards per carry – an average of half his season. Jeanty finished 27 yards shy of Barry Sanders’ NCAA single-season record, which he set at Oklahoma State in 1988.

“They have a great D-line, front seven,” Jeanty said. “It wasn’t really unusual. They executed, they tackled and we didn’t do our best.”

Penn State’s defense was dominant most of the night, but their offense was just as good, especially on the ground.

The Nittany Lions ran for 216 yards, including 134 from Kaytron Allen and 87 from Singleton. Allar remained steady after facing criticism for most of the season, throwing for 171 yards on 13 of 25 passes.

He was particularly sharp early on, finding Warren in the back of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown, then Omari Evans, who paced with a 38-yard score and a two-touchdown lead.

“When you’re 14-0, nobody really wants to be there,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said.

The Broncos fought back, as they always seem to do, to give themselves a chance.

Boise State got back on track by putting pressure on Allar, stopping Penn State’s advance down the field and gaining tremendous momentum when Allar fumbled two plays after Jeanty lost his third fumble of the season.

With Jeanty surrounded on nearly every play, Boise State turned to Tyler Crowe and the fullback took several Nittany Lions for an 8-yard touchdown run that cut Penn State’s lead in half. The comeback seemed within reach with Matt Lauter’s 53-yard TD catch in the third quarter, but the Broncos ran out of answers after that.

Maddux Madsen threw three interceptions and Jonah Dalmas missed his second field goal attempt, causing the Broncos to miss the CFP semifinals.

“A lot of people counted us out and we came up a few plays short,” Danielson said.

Next

Penn State plays No. 2 Georgia or No. 3 Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9.

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

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