When the Boise State Broncos come to town in 2024, Ashton Jeanty’s name will be at the top of the list. However, he’s not the only reason Spencer Danielson’s 12-1 team is No. 3 overall in the 12-team College Football Playoff. Boise State’s defensive line was an elite unit and could be a major problem for Penn State’s offense in the quarterfinals of the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

Defensive coordinator Erik Chinander’s unit is second in the country with an average of 3.8 sacks per game. In the Mountain West Championship Game against UNLV, they sacked quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams six times. With this type of production, they get contributions from across the defense. 205-pound safety Seyi Oladipo has seven sacks, as does 296-pound defensive tackle Braxton Fely and 5-foot-10, 181-pound defensive back Rodney Robinson has four. Still, the real pass-rushing threats lie on the edge and will test Penn State’s backup right tackle Nolan Rucci.

Rucci replaced Anthony Donkoh, who suffered a knee injury in his first appearance of the game against Minnesota in Week 13 and has not played since. Donkoh beat Rucci in fall camp after Rucci, the former No. 1 overall recruit out of Pennsylvania in 2021, spent his first three college seasons at Wisconsin.

Rucci struggled in relief, allowing four pressures off the bench against the Golden Gophers, three in 49 snaps against Wisconsin and nine through Week 13. But since becoming the starter in Week 14, Rucci has given up just three QB pressures and no sacks in 98 pass-blocking reps. He was a rock-solid opponent opposite left tackle Drew Shelton and will need to play that way for the Nittany Lions to advance past Boise State and into the CFP semifinals.

On Tuesday in Glendale, Arizona, Rucci will spend most of his evening facing either Ahmed Hassanein or Jayden Virgin-Morgan, Boise State’s standout edge rushers. Although Hassanein only recorded nine sacks, he finished the year fourth in the country with 60 QB pressures, four more than Penn State’s Abdul Carter, and his 16.3% pass-rush win rate is 31st among all players with at least 200 pass rushing snaps this year. Virgin-Morgan is second on the team with 42 pressures and first with 12 sacks.

Boise State’s team structure is so complementary on both sides of the football. Because of Jeanty’s skills, the Broncos almost always play in a positive game and defend a lead, which of course forces opponents into obvious passing situations where Hassanein, Virgin-Morgan and the entire corps of disruptors can pin their ears back and chase the quarterback. Then Jeanty helps close out the game with long, time-consuming drives, leaving Penn State to take an early lead even more than usual.

If the Nittany Lions do indeed fall behind, quarterback Drew Allar won’t be the only one in the spotlight for his performance. Rucci and Shelton will be asked to keep him upright against an elite pass rush, and if they can’t do that, Penn State’s season could end in disappointment.