Drew Allar threw three touchdown passes and Penn State advanced to the College Football Playoff semifinals with a shutout of Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty in a 31-14 win over Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday night.
The Nittany Lions (13-2, CFP No. 6 seed) opened their first CFP berth with a dominant win over SMU and jumped out to a 14-0 lead en route to their latest lopsided win in the new 12-team format. Boise State.
But the Broncos (12-2, CFP No. 3 seed) have relished the role of underdog dating back to when their brand went national in the thrilling 2007 Fiesta Bowl.
The Broncos raced out of an early hole, taking a 17-14 lead on Matt Lauter’s 53-yard touchdown catch midway through the third quarter.
Penn State thwarted Boise State’s recent comeback bid.
Allar threw his second touchdown pass to John Mackey Award winner Tyler Warren and Nick Singleton burst up the middle for a 58-yard TD run to send the Nittany Lions to the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9 against either No. 2 Georgia or No. 3 Notre. female.
Penn State did this most of the night by controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and shutting down Jeanty’s driving lanes. The AP first-team All-America selection had a season-low 104 yards on 30 carries, 27 yards short of Barry Sanders’ single-season NCAA record.
Allar was criticized throughout the season for being a boring and game manager. He was sharp early, finding Warren in the back of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown, followed by Omari Evans’ 38-yard scoring run.
The Broncos pressured Allar to pull back and appeared to shift momentum when Jeanty lost his third fumble of the season, depriving Penn State of the quarterback two plays later.
Boise State turned to Tyler Crowe rather than Jeanty, and the fullback carried several Nittany Lions for an 8-yard touchdown that cut Penn State’s lead in half. A comeback still seemed possible with Lauter’s TD, but the Broncos fell apart after that.
Maddux Madsen threw three interceptions and Jonah Dalmas missed his second field goal, and the Broncos missed the CFP semifinals.
(Want great stories delivered straight to your inbox? Create or log in to a FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive personalized newsletters every day..)
Get more from college football Follow your favorites for information on games, news, and more.
