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No. 6 Penn State held Ashton Jeanty in check and overcame some questionable play-calling on offense to beat No. 3 Boise State, 31-14, in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff.
The Nittany Lions advance to the playoff semifinals against Wednesday night’s winner between No. 2 Georgia and No. 7 Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl.
The key in the Fiesta Bowl was simple: Penn State had to be the first team this season to bottle up Jeanty, the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy, while controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
Those efforts took a big hit with the loss of star defensive end Abdul Carter, an All-America pick who left the game in the second quarter due to an apparent arm injury and didn’t return. On the offensive side, the Penn State front struggled to contain the Broncos’ edge rushers and create a clean pocket for quarterback Drew Allar.
Penn State wide receiver Omari Evans (5) makes a touchdown catch over Boise State safety Ty Benefield (0) during the first half of the 2024 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium.
Even without Carter supplying pressure, lessening Jeanty’s impact put the focus on Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen, who completed 23 of 35 throws for 304 yards and a touchdown with three interceptions.
While unable to keep Jeanty completely under wraps, the Nittany Lions were able to contain the junior All-America selection. Jeanty finished with 104 yards on 30 carries with a long of 26 yards.
He had gone for at least 125 yards in every game during the regular season and was only 132 yards shy of breaking Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record. The Nittany Lions were the first FBS opponent to keep Jeanty out of the end zone.
Penn State’s running game chewed up 216 yards on 41 carries, led by Kaytron Allen’s game-high 134 yards, though the offense spent too much…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/penn-state-college-football-playoff-041554771.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2025-01-01 04:15:00
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