The 'Ridiculous' Ashton Jeanty Stat That Most Impresses Penn State's James Franklin

The Boise State running back breaks tackles and generates yards after contact like no other player in college football.

Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty finished second in the 2024 Heisman Trophy race. / Brian Losness-Imagn Images

Penn State coach James Franklin began studying Boise State this weekend and, of course, running back Ashton Jeanty, whom the Nittany Lions will face in the Fiesta Bowl. What stood out to Franklin was how assertively Jeanty stood up, and sat down, opposing defenses.

"He's got more yards after contact than most of the elite backs in college football have in general overall," Franklin said Monday. "That's impressive."

Jeanty will top of mind for the Nittany Lions as they prepare to face Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl for a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game on New Year's Eve. The teams have never played before but are a combined 10-0 in the Fiesta Bowl. Meeting for the first time in the playoff elevates the stakes, and Jeanty certainly will command the spotlight.

The running back became Boise State's first unanimous All-American for a season that ranks among the greatest ever by a college running back. Jeanty has rushed for 2,497 yards, fourth in FBS single-season history, and a total that outpaced 115 FBS teams this season. He has more rushing touchdowns (29) than 118 FBS teams and leads the nation in all-purpose yards (2,613), first downs (121) and points (180).

To push the record-keeping, Boise State has compiled a list of numbers that particularly impressed, and kind of alarmed, Franklin. According to Boise State, Jeanty set single-season record in the CFP era for yards after contact (1,889) and missed tackles forced (143). When rushing against seven-man defensive fronts, Jeanty has accumulated 1,829 yards and 25 touchdowns on 266 carries. Jeanty was the Heisman Trophy runnerup to Colorado's Travis Hunter.

"In any other year, I think the guy wins the Heisman," Franklin said, "and you could make the argument that he should have won it this year."

RELATED: Penn State is ready to make a playoff statement

Franklin continued to focus on creating yards after contact as the trait that most defines Jeanty. The running back has generated 75.6 percent of his yards after contact. Penn State is studying how to stop a back of Jeanty's size (5-9, 215 pounds) who is both durable and elusive.

"His yards after contact ... is like a ridiculous stat," Franklin said. "I don't know if I've ever seen that before. His ability to make people miss, break tackles and finish runs is really impressive."

Jeanty also does it with the heaviest workload in college football. Jeanty enters the Fiesta Bowl with 344 carries this season, 52 more than the No. 2 back in touches (San Diego State's Marquez Cooper). He averages 26.5 carries per game. By contrast, Penn State's Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen have combined for 329 carries this season (Singleton missed one game due to injury).

Franklin is pretty confident in his backfield, which he called "violent" after the Nittany Lions' 38-10 win over SMU on Saturday. Boise State's usage of Jeanty is far different than Penn State's shared-workload stategy for its backs. Franklin said that Jeanty has shouldered his portion of the offense well.

"He’s a beast in terms of his production on the field but then also his durability," Franklin said. "From the interviews that I’ve seen, he’s also a guy that understands how to be a pro already at this point in terms of taking care of his body, rest and recovery, treatment, doing all the things necessary. I also think the way he’s built and his running style helps with that as well. There’s not too many people who are able to get clean shots on him. All of it is super impressive."

Noteworthy

Penn State gets about 48 hours off for Christmas before beginning its Fiesta Bowl preparation. The Nittany Lions practiced Sunday morning after their 38-10 College Football Playoff win over SMU and went home or elsewhere from there. They return to State College on Christmas night for a team meeting and the first practice of game week.

"I think we've got ten days [before the Fiesta Bowl] or whatever it may be, and every one of them is like gold," Franklin said Saturday. "Not only that, I also want them to get some time with their families for Christmas. You're trying to balance all of those things."

Penn State will practice in State College through Friday and leave for Arizona on Saturday. The Fiesta Bowl kicks off at 7:30 p.m. New Year's Eve from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

More Penn State Football

Former Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula transferring to Missouri

The Penn State Football report card: SMU edition

Penn State's White Out crowd was "definitely" a factor vs. SMU