What Boise State Said About Penn State Ahead of the Fiesta Bowl

The Broncos rave about the Nittany Lions' defense but say they're eager for the challenge.

Boise State Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen (4) hands off to running back Ashton Jeanty (2) during the first half against UNLV Rebels at Albertsons Stadium. / Brian Losness-Imagn Images

Following its 38-10 win over SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff, Penn State ascended to No. 7 in ESPN's SP+ defensive rankings. Even with the nation's best running back in Ashton Jeanty, Boise State's offense ranks 13th.

Still, the Broncos are 12-1, won the Mountain West title and live to be the underdog. They even designed a T-shirt around it.

"I don't think any of our guys will be afraid of the challenge," Boise State offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said. "I mean, the way Coach [Spencer] Danielson approaches it with our guys, we know we're playing a really good football team. We know we have to play our best, but it won't be because we're afraid of the moment. That's one thing that players at Boise State [have]; they'll be ready to answer the bell. That doesn't mean anything to the scoreboard, but you don't have to worry about us being afraid of the moment."

Koetter, running back Ashton Jeanty and quarterback Maddux Madsen met with the media this week as Boise State continues preparing to play Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Eve. The Broncos expressed a healthy respect for a Penn State football program that ranks fourth nationally in total defense, sixth in scoring and seventh in rushing. Penn State has allowed just one 100-yard rusher this season (USC's Woody Marks with 111), while Jeanty's season-low is 127 (on just 11 carries vs. Portland State).

How do the Broncos view the matchup vs. Penn State? Here's a sampling of their views.

Boise State offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter

On Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter: Yeah, he's really talented. I think most people got him as a top five pick, and that certainly wouldn't be surprising. You can really see his linebacker training, where he played off the ball a year ago, and now he's playing on the ball, although they move him around. The guy can really cover ground. He's got a real nice spin move. He closes on the quarterback. He can turn the corner. He's not their only good rusher. They have more than one.

On what caused Penn State trouble in its two losses: They played other really good teams. Let's face it, all of us saw Oregon firsthand, and that was a close game. That went right down to the wire. I think Dillon Gabriel is probably the best quarterback in the country. I think he's perfect for what Oregon does on offense. Oregon ran a lot of tempo against them: ran a lot of unbalanced sets, where they had everybody on one side. I'm not necessarily saying that's what gave them trouble. I'm just saying that's what Oregon did. Oregon does that to everybody. Oregon is one of the teams that can match Penn State's speed. Penn State has excellent speed on defense. Oregon, as we know, has excellent speed. In the Ohio State game, Ohio State just played a real solid game. I think Ohio State matches up with them good physically. I'm talking the part I watched: Ohio State's offense versus Penn State's defense. That was more of a power game, a little bit less of a speed game.

On Penn State's playoff win over SMU: Bill Parcells is famous for saying, 'More games are lost than won.' I'm a big believer in that statement. SMU did a lot to lose the game. Even though you could make a very good argument that Penn State forced them into some of those errors. But we have done a good job in that area, and Mad Dog [Maddux Madsen] in particular has done a really good job in that area. That's one of the reasons he's our starting quarterback. He takes care of the football. He doesn't beat us. He doesn't get us beat. Any player, but a quarterback touches it every play. Quarterback doesn't always need to win the game, but he also can't lose the game for you. Unfortunately, SMU's quarterback [Kevin Jennings] did a lot to lose that game last week. I know that guy is a fine player with a very bright future, but that was not pretty. It just wasn't.

On Penn State's defensive line: I would say this is the best D-line [Boise State has faced]. They're right there with Oregon. It's just been a long time since I've studied Oregon, but they're right there. Right off the top, first off, I think Penn State has four defensive ends who I think could start for almost every team: 11 [Carter Abdul], 33 [Dani Dennis-Sutton], 92 [Smith Vilbert], 15 [Amin Vanover]. They play them a lot. They play all four of those guys. They like to play three at a time on pass downs. But the guy, 28 [Zane Durant], inside, man, I would like to be that guy's agent. Converted high school running back. He plays defensive tackle for them. He's got a crazy combination of quickness and power. And I think that guy is very disruptive on the inside. We know we have our hands full with that front. They've wreaked havoc on plenty of teams. That's going to be a big key to the game, if we can neutralize that front.

Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen

On the Fiesta Bowl: This is by far the biggest game I've ever played in. I've caught myself a lot of the times, just positive thoughts of it's just another game to me. Like I said, you see all these guys that get amped up. I think you saw that in the first round of the playoffs. Different guys got completely amped up to what they're not built to be. Understanding that and kind of learning from that first round of the playoffs was a big deal for me. Obviously, I can look at that and just know that I can do my job and play the way I need to.

On being the underdog: It's what Boise State has essentially been built on. It's crazy. I think it's an 11-point underdog kind of thing. Yeah, they're good. They're really good. But also, I know the Boise State Broncos are really good. The competition level is going to be extremely high with what's at stake. I have a lot of trust in the guys in this building.

On Penn State's run defense: When you look at Penn State compared to some of the conference games that we faced, it basically just comes down to the key point of tackling. Those guys can make one-on-one tackles, when essentially other places couldn't. It's not like they're doing anything schematically that's drastically different. But those guys, they're all athletes over there. They're a very well coached defense. They're in the right spot most of the time. Comparative to other teams that we've played, you kind of catch those guys out of position when Penn State really is not. Even when they are, they have the athletic ability to kind of make up for the loss of position.

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty

On having three weeks off since the Mountain West title game: I feel really good about it, from the standpoint football is a very physical sport. Then our offense, we pride ourselves in physicality. I think it will do us all well having this time off. But obviously, it's been a little bit since we played football. But I'm confident in our preparation and how we've been working, and we're all back now so we can put some more work in and get ready.

On playing against Penn State's defense: They got some really good players. Their front seven is elite, great linebackers, great D-line. They do a lot: Blitzes, pressures, moving the D-line, stunts, and all that. They're a single high team. We know for sure we're going to get some seven, eight man surfaces. That's just natural from all the defenses we've seen. But we're going to have to play a great game, stay ahead of the chains. They're one of the best teams on third and long. So we want to stay out of those situations. ... For me, I want to play against the best of the best competition. This is the biggest platform to do that in college football right now, against one of the best teams in the nation. This is always the best thing to me, to play against the best competition.

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