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Fiesta Bowl preview: How Boise State’s defense matches up with Penn State’s offense

Nittany Lions have two-headed monster at running back in Kaytron Allen, Nicholas Singleton

Bob Lundeberg

Boise State Broncos edge Jayden Virgin-Morgan.
Boise State Broncos edge Jayden Virgin-Morgan. / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Boise State and Penn State are two of the top rushing offenses in the country, but the Fiesta Bowl participants use different approaches to shred teams on the ground. 

The third-seeded Broncos (12-1) rely on Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty to do most of the work. Jeanty, who leads in the country in carries (344), yards (2,497) and touchdowns (29), needs 132 yards in the College Football Playoff to break Barry Sanders’ single-season FBS rushing record.

Sixth-seeded Penn State (12-2) spreads its carries between physical juniors Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, both of whom check in at nearly 230 pounds. Singleton has 145 carries for 928 yards and eight touchdowns this season while Allen isn’t far behind at 184 carries, 892 yards and eight TDs. 

Slowing down Allen and Singleton will be job No. 1 for an undersized but productive Boise State defensive front in Tuesday’s Fiesta Bowl. The ESPN telecast for the CFP quarterfinal is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. Mountain time. 

“They bring a lot,” Broncos sophomore defensive end Jayden Virgin-Morgan said of Penn State’s two backs. “Being able to have a duo like that in the backfield … it’s definitely a big thing we are practicing for.”

The Nittany Lions average 201.2 yards per game on the ground, good for 19th in the country. Boise State, which ranks fifth nationally at 250.5 rushing yards per game, holds opponents to 115.1 yards on the ground, 23rd-best in the country. 

Broncos head coach Spencer Danielson praised Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki for his ability to create confusion by utilizing shifts, motions and different personnel groupings. 

“They put you in a lot of conflict,” Danielson said. “And they are very, very talented across the board, so we’ve got to do a great job with our communication and eye control.”

Allen and Singleton run behind one of the best offensive lines in college football and star tight end Tyler Warren, who placed seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting. 

“They are a lot bigger guys than we are used to, especially the competition we’ve been playing,” Virgin-Morgan said. “They are probably the best O Line we will have gone up against. It’s exciting. It’s exciting to go up against that type of competition and be able to really show that we have the abilities and skill to go against whatever competition is in front of us.”

At 6-foot-6 and 261 pounds, Warren is a complete tight end who blocks, catches passes and even plays some Wildcat quarterback. The senior has 92 catches for 1,095 yards and 10 total touchdowns — six receiving, four rushing — this season. 

“Talking with a lot of coaches that have played against Tyler, every single one of them just talked about how elite he was in every phase of the game,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said. “The second we talked to defensive coordinators that have played against Penn State, the first guy they all brought up was Tyler Warren.”

Warren is the favorite target of quarterback Drew Allar, who has thrown for 3,021 yards and 21 touchdowns with seven interceptions as a junior. Before the College Football Playoff, the 6-foot-5, 238-pound Allar announced that he will return to Penn State for his senior season. 

Allar has only been sacked 14 times this year. Boise State is a ferocious pass rushing team with 51 sacks, the second-most nationally behind Ole Miss. 

“He’s a big guy,” Virgin-Morgan said of Allar. “We need to be able to target lower for him, because he’s got height on him and a lot of weight on him.”

Pass defense ranks among Boise State’s biggest weaknesses as the Broncos surrender 246.8 yards per game through the air, ranking 109th in the country. Penn State checks in at No. 54 nationally in passing yards per game at 238.6. 

Warren and junior wide receiver Harrison Wallace III (43 catches, 686 yards, four touchdowns) are the Nittany Lions’ top two threats in the passing game.

The Broncos also struggled to tackle at times during their march to a second straight Mountain West Conference title. According to TruMedia, Boise State ranks last in the country with a missed tackle rate of 20 percent. 

“At times we’ve been good, at times we have not been good,” defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said of Boise State’s tackling. “Most of them come down to some leverage issues, some eye control. But definitely there have been times where we have not been a good tackling team, and those have led to some explosive plays that we shouldn’t have given up.”

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Bob Lundeberg
BOB LUNDEBERG

Bob Lundeberg is a reporter for Boise State Broncos On SI. An Oregon State graduate, Bob has lived in Idaho since 2019 and is an avid hiker and golfer.

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