Nittany Lions Face Broncos in Fiesta Bowl (CFP Quarterfinal Preview)

No. 6 Penn State (12-2, 8-1 Big Ten) vs. No. 3 Boise State (12-1, 7-0 Mountain West)

Date: Tuesday, December 31

Times: 7:30 PM

Location: State Farm Stadium (Glendale, AZ)

Coverage

• TV: ESPN

• Radio: LionVision (PSU) & The Varsity Network (BSU)

• Live Stats: ESPN GameCast & StatBroadcast (CFP)

Storylines

Fiesta Bowl Dominance

The Nittany Lions have won seven games and lost none in the Fiesta Bowl in their program’s history, with the 1987 edition ending in a national championship victory for Penn State. Boise State has also had an infamous history in this bowl game, with wins over Oklahoma, TCU and Arizona (Source: Victory Bell Rings)

Jeanty Looking to Break Single-Season Rushing Record

After a historic regular season that was just short of a Heisman winner, Ashton Jeanty has an eye on one more prize: the NCAA single-season rushing record. The record is currently held by Barry Sanders in 1988 and Jeanty needs 132 for the record. (Source: USA Today)

No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 3 Boise State: Team Numbers

No. 6 Penn State	Offense	No. 3 Boise State
33.9	Points Per Game	39.1
238.6	Pass Yards Per Game	219.6
201.2	Rush Yards Per Game	250.5
47.65%	3rd Down %	49.11%
20 (1.43)	Turnovers (per game)	14 (1.08)

No. 6 Penn State	Defense	No. 3 Boise State
15.9	Points Allowed PG	21.9
179.6	Pass Yards Allowed PG	246.9
100.4	Rush Yards Allowed PG	115.1
33.51%	Opponent 3rd Down %	38.14%
31 (2.21)	Takeaways (per game)	34 (2.62)

First-Ever Meeting

Penn State and Boise State have never met before.

Top Players on Offense

No. 6 Penn State

• QB Drew Allar, Jr.

  • Passing: 237-for-346, 3,021 yds, 21 TD, 7 INT

  • Rushing: 79 car, 289 yds, 6 TD

• RB Nicholas Singleton, Jr.

  • Rushing: 145 car, 928 yds, 8 TD

• TE Tyler Warren, Sr.

  • Receiving: 92 rec, 1,095 yds, 6 TD

  • Rushing: 24 car, 197 yds, 4 TD

No. 3 Boise State

• QB Maddux Madsen, R-So.

  • Passing: 224-for-361, 2,714 yds, 22 TD, 3 INT

  • Rushing: 50 car, 224 yds, 5 TD

• RB Ashton Jeanty, Jr.

  • Rushing: 344 car, 2,497 yds, 29 TD

• WR Cameron Camper, Gr.

  • Receiving: 55 rec, 837 yds, 4 TD

Top Players on Defense

No. 6 Penn State

• DE Abdul Carter, Jr.

  • Defense: 63 tot, 11 sacks, 21.5 TFL

• DE Dani Dennis-Sutton, Jr.

  • Defense: 30 tot, 5.5 sacks, 8.5 TFL

• S Jaylen Reed, Sr.

  • Defense: 84 tot, 3 INT, 3 PD

No. 3 Boise State

• DE Ahmed Hassanein, Sr.

  • Defense: 42 tot, 8.5 sacks, 12.5 TFL

• DE Jayden Virgin-Morgan, Sr.

  • Defense: 39 tot, 10 sacks, 15.5 TFL

• CB A’Marion McCoy, Sr.

  • Defense: 58 tot, 1 INT, 14 PD

Quick Picks: Expert Analysis

Bryan: Penn State is one game away from being one game away, and they get one of their toughest tests this season against Boise State. The Nittany Lions won’t look ahead, and they’ll have enough to eke out a victory.

Pick: No. 6 Penn State