Penn State to Face Boise State and Its Motto: 'Please Count Us Out'

The Broncos are eager to be the underdogs vs. Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl.

Boise State Broncos head coach Spencer Danielson celebrates with running back Ashton Jeanty (2) after 44-20 victory over the UNLV Rebels in the Mountain West Championship at Allegiant Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Boise State's famous T-shirt likely will dot the stands at State Farm Stadium for the Fiesta Bowl. They have become almost an unofficial jersey of Boise State football fans.

"Please Count Us Out," the t-shirt reads, available in blue or orange of course, and it will confront Penn State football fans on New Year's Eve. The Broncos have turned the slogan into an ethos this season, and coach Spencer Danielson is eager to share it with the world in the quarterfinal round of the College Football Playoff.

"That's our mentality here," Danielson said. "Not just for this game playing in the Fiesta Bowl, but that's what Boise State has been built on. We have to earn our right to play against one of the top football teams in the country."

The Broncos earned a first-round bye in the playoff with one of best seasons in program history. Boise State (12-1) claimed the No. 3 seed after winning the Mountain West Conference title with the nation's best running back in Ashton Jeanty and the No. 3 scoring offense in college football (39.1 ppg). Boise State played Oregon (in a 37-34 loss in Eugene) closer than Penn State, topped 40 points six times and has been off since a 21-7 win over UNLV in the conference title game Dec. 6.

Boise State has history as a Group of Five power, having won perhaps the second-most famous game in Fiesta Bowl history. The Broncos made fans across college football with their 43-42 overtime win vs. Oklahoma in 2007, a game that followed 20 years after Penn State's iconic win over Miami for the national championship.

Penn State coach James Franklin spent a season in Idaho (1999, coaching wide receivers at Idaho State) and coached at Boise State while with Maryland. "Love the city, love the university," Franklin said, acknowledging Boise State's history is meaningful not only in this game but also in college football. Franklin certainly won't count them out.

"I think the biggest compliment that I would give Boise is, for people in the coaching profession, you say to yourself: 'Why are places good jobs and why are places bad jobs? Why do some places struggle over their time and why do some places always thrive?'" Franklin said. "... Maybe there's other things at the school that's not allowing the coach to be successful. Just like at Boise, there's been a recipe for success there. The administration, in my opinion, must get it. The town must get it. The university, all the way from the president of the university to the professors, all the way down to the students, they all get it."

Nevertheless, Danielson wants Boise State to be the underdog in the Fiesta Bowl. Penn State is an 11-point favorite according to DraftKings, and Boise State is 24th in ESPN's College Football Power Index, lowest among the eight remaining playoff teams. Danielson said his team has another motto: "Put the ball down." Which translates to, Boise State will be ready to play anywhere.

"That's why we talk about, please count us out," Danielson said. "People do, media or [otherwise] count us out. I know how we are going to work and I know we are going to work to play our absolute best on the 31st. ... All the outside noise of people counting us out? Awesome. We have been with the outside noise of everybody saying how great we are. On either side, you gotta block the outside noise and I believe that. Please count us out. That's what Boise State football is built on, is people thinking we can't do something and we work our tails off to find a way to prove people wrong."

Penn State faces Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl in New Year's Eve at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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