Penn State Moves onto the CFB Semi-Finals

Nittany Lions have a date in Miami in the semi-finals

Boise State came into this game as the underdog against one of college football’s blue bloods. Penn State came into this game as the team that would take Boise State’s magical slipper off and toss it into the Arizona desert.

Unfortunately, for Boise State, their carriage turned back into a pumpkin at Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday night in Glendale, Arizona.

Penn State took control early in the game by getting up 14-0 quickly. The #6 Nittany Lions threatened to run away and hide from the #3 Broncos. Penn State dominated Boise State all over the field in the first quarter. However, a fumble on the Nittany Lions running back-quarterback exchange gave the Broncos momentum and before you knew it, it was a one score game. You can certainly make an argument that Boise State had every chance to take the lead in this game, but the Broncos had three trips inside the 30 yard line and came up with no points.

Ashton Jeanty, Boise State’s all-world running back who was in reach of the all-time rushing record held by Hall of Fame running back, Barry Sanders was really bottled up by an aggressive Penn State defense. It seemed like every time the was a bit of an opening for Jeanty to break open a run that opening was shut off by Kobe King, Dvon J-Thomas, or any number of Penn State defenders.

It certainly was a point of emphasis for the Nittany Lions during the week of practice. Penn State head coach, James Franklin, hammered the point home to his players that they had gang tackle and wrap up when trying to stop the Heisman Finalist.

“I think we did corral him. Not, ‘sort of’.” Coach Franklin said after correcting a sports writer who had asked the question.

While Boise State’s running game was struggling, the Nittany Lions running game did not. The combination of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen combined for 221 rushing yards. It was most yards allowed by the Boise State defense the whole season. Coach Franklin also mentioned this was the first time since Penn State joined the Big Ten that Penn State had two 1,000 yard rushers in the same season.

With so much of the emphasis on Ashton Jeanty, Nittany Lion head coach admitted that his players were probably “sick of me” talking about him. It was only the second time all season that Jeanty was held without a touchdown in a game. The first time that happened was back on Sept 21 against the Portland State Vikings.

With the win Penn State moves onto face the winner of Notre Dame and Georgia. This win also pushes the Nittany Lions closer to their first National Championship since 1986.

With all of the controversy over the opening round games being boring, uninteresting, or that the teams didn’t belong in the 12-team playoff Boise State deserved to be in this game. With the rules that were laid down by the powers that be in college football the Broncos earned their way into the playoff. The format, rules to get in will be tweaked a bit. I believe that if you win your conference you should get in, but at the same time I think reseeding needs to occur once all the teams are chosen.

At the end of night, it was a dominating performance for Penn State. Boise State tried to stay with the Nittany Lions, but Penn State was just bigger, faster, stronger than anything that Boise State had seen all season.

Michael J. Wilson-The Daily Waiver