GLENDALE, Ariz. — Penn State's defense clogged every hole, stretched every outside run, and shut down with a vengeance.
Ashton Giunty encountered Nittany Lions everywhere he went.
The Heisman Trophy runner-up still had over 100 yards, but he certainly had to work for it.
Drew Allard threw three touchdown passes and No. 5 Penn State shut down Giunty and advanced to the College Football Playoff semifinals with a 31-14 victory over No. 8 Boise State on Tuesday night in the Fiesta Bowl. obtained the right to participate.
“We knew who we were playing against. We knew we had to protect the ball on every play because he could break it on any play,” he said, making the interception. said Penn State safety Zaky Wheatley, who recovered the fumble. “We did that the whole game.”
The Nittany Lions (13-2, No. 6 seed in the CFP) clinched their first CFP berth with a blowout win over SMU, extending their lead to 14-0 against SMU and a lopsided victory in the new 12-team structure. Boise State seemed to be heading towards it.
But the Broncos (12-2, No. 3 seed in the CFP), who have enjoyed their role as underdogs dating back to when Brand became a national division in the shocking 2007 Fiesta Bowl, have no answer for them. There was.
Boise State quickly rebounded from an early deficit and narrowed the gap to 17-14 early in the third quarter, and momentum seemed to be in their favor.
And Penn State turned the tide around.
Aller threw his second touchdown pass of the night to John Mackey Award winner Tyler Warren, and Nick Singleton broke through the middle for a 58-yard TD run, leading the Nittany Lions to a 10-0 lead on Jan. 9. They will face No. 2 Georgia or No in the Orange Bowl. 3 Notre Dame Cathedral.
“We played a complete game,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “Our offense, defense and special teams played complementary football and did some special things.”
Penn State accomplished that by controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball for most of the night, hounding Giunty at every turn.
The AP First Team All-America selection finished with a season-low 104 yards on 30 carries, just 3.5 yards per carry. This was the average for half the season. Giunty fell 27 yards short of matching the single-season NCAA record set by Barry Sanders at Oklahoma State in 1988.
“They have a great D-line, front seven,” Giunty said. “It wasn't really anything special. They executed and tackled, but we didn't play our best.”
Penn State's defense was dominant for most of the night, but the offense was just as good, especially on the ground.
The Nittany Lions ran for 216 yards, including 134 yards from Caitron Allen and 87 yards from Singleton. Aller has been consistent after facing criticism for much of the season, completing 13-of-25 passes for 171 yards.
He was especially sharp early on, finding Warren in the back of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown, followed by Omari Evans' 38-yard score for a two-touchdown lead.
“A 14-0 record is not a record that anyone really wants,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said. The Broncos, as they always do, fought back to give themselves a chance. “A lot of people had us out, but we were just a few plays short,” Danielson said.
Boise State got back on track by putting pressure on Aller, shutting down Penn State's offense, and gained a lot of momentum when Aller fumbled two plays after Giunty lost his third fumble of the season. Ta.
With Giunty surrounded on nearly every play, Boise State turned to Tyler Crowe, and the fullback took several Nittany Lions for an 8-yard touchdown run, cutting Penn State's lead in half. It was reduced to
Matt Lauter's 53-yard TD catch in the third quarter made it seem like a comeback was still within reach, but then the Broncos ran out of answers.
Maddux Madsen made three interceptions and Jonah Dalmas missed his second field goal, costing the Broncos a spot in the CFP semifinals.
