No. 6 seed Penn State football (13-2) defeated No. 3 seed Boise State (12-2) 31-14 in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal in the Fiesta Bowl in State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Penn State jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first half, and the defense largely kept star running back Ashton Jeanty in check. Boise State’s passing game got into a rhythm, but the Nittany Lions took a 17-7 lead into the locker room.

In the second half, Penn State squandered its opening drive and an ensuing one after an interception. However, a Nick Singleton touchdown late in the fourth quarter and another interception sealed the deal to send the Nittany Lions to the semifinal at the Orange Bowl.

How It Happened

Jeanty was stuffed to open the game. However, Maddux Madsen fired a 12-yard pass to Prince Strachan for a first down. Two plays later, he connected with Matt Lauter on a 24-yard pass to reach Penn State’s 36-yard line. Boise State was stopped on 3rd-and-7 three plays later, and Jonah Dalmas’ field goal sailed wide to keep the game scoreless.

Nick Singleton gained 2 yards to open Penn State’s inaugural drive. Drew Allar completed a 6-yard pass to Luke Reynolds, and Kaytron Allen ripped a 9-yard run to refresh the downs. Singleton combined for 11 yards over two carries. Allen then exploded for a 23-yard run and an 11-yard run to reach the Broncos’ 11-yard line. Then, Allar hit Tyler Warren with a touchdown pass to give the Nittany Lions a 7-0 lead with 6:40 left in the first quarter.

That’s Triple Threat Tyler pic.twitter.com/N66vuF14Pe

— Onward State (@OnwardState) January 1, 2025

Jeanty lost 2 yards to open Boise State’s drive. Two plays later, Dani Dennis-Sutton sacked Madsen to force a punt.

Allar and Allen combined for a first down over the first two plays. Then, two plays later, Omari Evans hauled in a 38-yard bomb in the end zone to give Penn State a 14-0 lead with 3:35 left in the opening quarter.

Chuck it deep, Drew pic.twitter.com/FuGdbbU1ux

— Onward State (@OnwardState) January 1, 2025

Jeanty ripped a 12-yard run on second down. But on the next play, his fumble was recovered by Zakee Wheatley to give Penn State possession at its own 49-yard line.

Allar connected with Trey Wallace for a 20-yard gain. But then, Penn State fumbled and Seyi Oladipo regained possession at the Broncos’ 35-yard line.

Matt Wagner caught a 14-yard pass, but Jeanty was stuffed the next two plays to bring up 3rd-and-11. Madsen’s pass was broken up to force another punt.

Penn State went three-and-out, and Cooper Jones returned it 19 yards. From his 48-yard line, Jeanty rushed 7 yards. He caught an 18-yard pass, then gained another 6 yards. The Broncos converted on 3rd-and-1 to reach Penn State’s 16-yard line. Jambres Dubar suffered a 4-yard loss, but Lauter caught a 12-yard pass. On 3rd-and-2, Tyler Crowe ran 8 yards into the end zone to make it 14-7 with 8:41 left in the second quarter.

On third-and-long, Boise State was called for holding to give Penn State a first down. Allen ripped a 5-yard gain, but two false starts and an Allar sack forced a punt.

The Broncos went three-and-out. Allen ripped an 8-yard run, then Reynolds caught a 10-yard pass for a first down two plays later. Warren caught a 17-yard pass three plays later, but Singleton was stuffed on third down to force another punt.

From deep in their own territory, the Broncos did not convert.

Allar fired an 11-yard pass to Warren, then a 17-yard pass to Evans to reach Boise State’s 36-yard line. Two incompletions and a tackle for loss brought up 4th-and-12, but a pass interference put the Nittany Lions on the 23-yard line. Two incompletions and a sack handed Penn State another fourth down, and this time Ryan Barker kicked a field goal to give the Nittany Lions a 17-7 lead at halftime.

An incompletion and a Singleton run set up 3rd-and-6. Another incompletion forced another punt to open the second half.

Madsen was sacked, but he fired a 17-yard pass to Cameron Camper. Jeanty ran 3 yards, and Latrell Caples made another 17-yard reception. Then, a wide-open Lauter caught a 53-yard touchdown pass to make it 17-14 with 11:50 remaining in the third quarter.

Allen ripped a 9-yard run, then gained 23 yards on 3rd-and-1. Singleton picked up a first down, but Allar was sacked for a 9-yard loss. He completed a five-yard pass to Warren, then scrambled 15 yards for a first down. A four-yard Allen run and an incompletion brought up 3rd-and-11, but then, Warren hauled in his 13-yard touchdown pass to give Penn State a 24-14 lead with 7:28 left in the third quarter.

Got up there pic.twitter.com/wy2wxXahvo

— Onward State (@OnwardState) January 1, 2025

Jeanty was stuffed to begin the ensuing drive. Madsen threw a three-yard pass to Camper, and Caples caught a 9-yard pass for a first down. Two plays later, Ben Ford caught a 12-yard pass to cross midfield, and two Jeanty runs brought up 3rd-and-5. Madsen fired a 6-yard pass to Strachan, and the Broncos continued to move the ball with Jeanty’s run to the 28-yard line. Then, Zakee Wheatley intercepted Madsen’s pass on third-and-long and returned it to Penn State’s 41-yard line. An unnecessary roughness call against the Nittany Lions gave them the ball at the 26-yard line.

TURNOVER KING pic.twitter.com/ENd8Nmnik5

— Onward State (@OnwardState) January 1, 2025

Allar scrambled 6 yards, then4. However, an incompletion on 3rd-and-1 forced a punt.

On 3rd-and-21, Jeanty exploded for a 26-yard run. A pass interference call moved the Broncos to Penn State’s 48-yard line. Strachan made a 13-yard catch, then Jeanty gained 10 yards. Three plays later, an incompletion brought up 3rd-and-20 from the 21-yard line. Madsen’s pass was incomplete, and Dalmas missed a second field goal.

From the 22-yard line, Allen ripped a 12-yard gain and then managed 7 yards. Allar was sacked to bring up 3rd-and-8, but he fired a 9-yard pass to Wallace to convert. Then, Singleton exploded for a 58-yard foot race to the end zone, and Penn State gained a 31-14 lead with 5:04 left in the fourth quarter.

Zion Tracy intercepted a Madsen pass with 3:37 left in the game, which effectively sealed Penn State’s victory.

Takeaways

• It was no secret that stopping Jeanty was key to victory, and the Nittany Lions did their job. Penn State held the Heisman runner-up to 104 yards and no touchdowns, his lowest numbers all season. This happened despite being without Carter and Dennis-Sutton, as both left the game with injuries.
• Penn State’s run game, meanwhile, flourished. Allen led the way with 134 yards, while Singleton had 87 and a touchdown. The duo has been hot recently, which was true tonight.
• The star power continued to come up big. Warren had 63 receiving yards and two touchdowns, which were both difficult catches to make in bounds.
• Penalties were a significant part of the game. While Penn State took six for 45 yards, Boise State took 10 for 55. They simply make winning games harder, and that was evident tonight.

What’s Next?

Penn State awaits the winner of No. 7 seed Notre Dame and No. 2 seed Georgia. The Nittany Lions will face that team in the College Football Playoff semifinal at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 9, in the Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, Florida. The game will be televised on ESPN.