What went wrong: 4 takeaways from Boise State’s Fiesta Bowl loss to Penn State

No. 6 Penn State defeats No. 3 Boise State 31-14 in College Football Playoff quarterfinal

Penn State's Dani Dennis-Sutton (33) celebrates his tackle of Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No. 3 Boise State proved it belonged in the College Football Playoff, out-gaining No. 6 Penn State 412-387 in Tuesday night’s Fiesta Bowl. 

But the Broncos (12-2) and star tailback Ashton Jeanty weren’t sharp enough to defeat a team of Penn State’s caliber. The Nittany Lions (13-2) pulled out a 31-14 victory, ending Boise State’s season. 

Here are four takeaways from the Broncos’ College Football Playoff debut. 

1. Nittany Lions control the trenches

Penn State Nittany Lions defensive tackle Coziah Izzard. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Football often comes down to line play, and Penn State dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. 

The Nittany Lions leaned on their massive offensive line to run for 216 yards — a total that could’ve been much higher with different play-calling — on 41 attempts. Boise State did record four sacks and seven tackles for loss, but Penn State eventually wore down the Broncos’ defense.

On the other side of the ball, Penn State’s front seven overwhelmed the Boise State offensive line at times. The Nittany Lions recorded nine tackles for loss and held Ashton Jeanty to a season-low 104 yards on 30 carries. 

Jeanty, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, finished his prolific junior campaign with 374 carries for 2,601 yards and 30 total touchdowns. He came up 28 yards short of breaking Barry Sanders’ FBS single-season rushing record. 

“We had it in our mind that ‘Oh, he’s going to try to break the record on us tonight,” Penn State defensive tackle Dvon J-Thomas said after the game. “That’s not going to happen.”

2. A nightmare start for Boise State

Boise State Broncos place kicker Jonah Dalmas reacts after missing a field goal. / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Fifteen minutes into the Fiesta Bowl, Penn State appeared to be on its way to a runaway win.

Boise State received the opening kickoff and put together a strong drive before Jonah Dalmas duck-hooked a 45-yard field goal. The Nittany Lions scored two quick touchdowns and had a chance to go up 21-0 when Jeanty lost a fumble while fighting for extra yardage near the sideline. 

The Broncos got it right back on a Drew Allar fumble and eventually made it a 17-14 game early in the third quarter on a 53-yard touchdown connection between Maddux Madsen and tight end Matt Lauter. The comeback stalled from there, but Boise State avoided the blowout that has plagued this year’s College Football Playoff. 

3. Too many miscues

Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson yells out to his team. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Boise State played much better over the final 45 minutes against Penn State, but the Broncos continued to make mistake after mistake against the Big Ten runner-up. 

On four separate drives, Boise State marched inside the Penn State 30-yard line and failed to score. Dalmas missed two mid-range field goals and Madsen threw a pair of desperation picks. 

The Broncos turned it over four times and committed a season-worst 13 penalties for 90 yards, one of which negated a 20-yard Prince Strachan touchdown that would’ve made it a 24-21 game late in the third quarter. 

Boise State also missed its fair share of tackles while trying to bring down talented Penn State running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton.

“Football always comes down to execution, and we just didn’t execute as much as we needed to in a game like this,” Broncos head coach Spencer Danielson said. 

4. Madsen shines in defeat

Boise State Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen throws a pass. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The sophomore quarterback’s final stat line is not an accurate representation of his play in the Fiesta Bowl.

Regularly facing a ferocious pass rush, Madsen completed 23 of 35 passes for 304 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions, outplaying Allar for most of the game. All three of Madsen’s picks came in the fourth quarter with Boise State in catch-up mode. 

Madsen showed great poise and accuracy against one of the nation’s best defenses. With Penn State focusing on Jeanty, Madsen stepped up to keep the Broncos in the game. 

Top receivers Cameron Camper, Latrell Caples, Strachan and Lauter could all return next season, giving Boise State a potent passing attack with Jeanty moving on to the NFL. 

MORE BOISE STATE NEWS & ANALYSIS

• What Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson, running back Ashton Jeanty said after Fiesta Bowl loss to Penn State

• What Penn State head coach James Franklin, tight end Tyler Warren, safety Zakee Wheatley said after Fiesta Bowl

• Ashton Jeanty falls just short of Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record

• Game recap, analysis: Mistakes doom No. 3 Boise State in Fiesta Bowl loss to No. 6 Penn State

• Boise State transfer portal tracker: Ohio State offensive lineman signs with Broncos

• Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson: ‘What we did this year is not going to be enough going forward’

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