Penn State, Boise State coaches preview the Fiesta Bowl

The Fiesta Bowl matchup is set with No. 3 Boise State taking on No. 6 Penn State.

On Monday, both head coaches spoke with media on a Zoom.

Quotes – Penn State Head Coach James Franklin

Penn State is the program with the most all-time Fiesta Bowl wins with 7. The Nittany Lions are no strangers to winning games in Phoenix, witb the last Fiesta Bowl appearance coming in a 35-28 win over Washington in 2017.

James Franklin opened his session noting that the one common oppononet between Penn State and Boise State is Oregon this year. The Broncos lost 37-34 so he says this team is going to be tough to beat.

“It all starts and revolves around [Ashton] Jeanty,” Franklin said. “He should’ve won it [the Heisman this year]… he does it all for this team.”

Franklin was later asked to compare him to other great backs.

“I don’t know if he reminds me of anyone else. He does a lot of things really well,” Franklin said. “His ability to make people miss, break tackles, finish runs really jumps out most to me.”

Penn State has their own successful running game, with their “thunder and lightning” combo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron “Fatman” Allen.

“Nick is trying to get on the edge and beat you with speed. Fatman will try to look for contact and beat you into the ground.”

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POV: @Kaytron_Allen is running straight at you for the TD 🚂🫣 pic.twitter.com/z0naE0WxJQ

— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) December 21, 2024

“Both are great teammates and students and are thriving here,” Franklin said. “I’m sure both would love more touches but they understand why we split the carries the way we do to benefit the team and their careers as they advance on.”

Earlier this season, Penn State made a west coast trip to USC. The feedback that Franklin and his staff got back from players was mostly positive and will help them prepare for Phoenix.

“We feel good about it,” Franklin said. “The value of going out and playing well against USC is big for our program and has us ready for it here.”

Franklin spent time talking about his observations on Boise State’s continuous success that is growing every year. Multiple coaches and staffs have succeeded there because of the culture and 

“Obviously they get it there. The administration. The community. The staffs. They get it,” Franklin said. “I have a ton of respect for Boise and the traditions and everything they stand for. We know we need to be ready.”

Quotes – Boise State Head Coach Spencer Danielson

Boise State has three Fiesta Bowl wins in program history.

Spencer Danielson says he is prepping to defend the two best running backs they’ve faced all year. The dynamic duo brings a much different approach than what the Broncos do with Jeanty.

The Nittany Lions defense is also one of the best they’ve faced this year.

“Their front seven is so physical up front,” Danielson said. “We’ve got our work cut out for us.”

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See you soon, @Fiesta_Bowl 🎊#BleedBlue | #BuiltDifferent pic.twitter.com/NM2GmHtodr

— Boise State Football (@BroncoSportsFB) December 18, 2024

Boise State is ranked fourth in the country in points per game this year (39.1). Danielson belives they can score a lot as long as they hold onto the football and force some turnovers.

“The turnover margin is going to be huge in this game. The explosive plays will be huge in this play,” Danielson said. “We can’t beat ourselves, we have to play our best.”

Ashton Jeanty is household name now in the college football world. He finished second in Heisman voting.

“He’s a unanimous captain and relentless competitor,” Danielson said. “He is everything you want in a player and he’s ready to compete on this stage.”

Penn State tight end Tyler Warren is commanding a ton of attention in the Broncos’ gameplan. Danielson belives he’ll be the first tight end taken in the NFL draft because he does everything well.

Boise State is listed as heavy underdogs on every betting website. 

“I’m very direct with this team,” Danielson said. “We will be able to play our best and it’s going to be enough.”

Many are shocked to see this program here. But as James Franklin said, it’s clear that the Boise State community is superb from top to bottom.

“We have so much support,” Danielson said. “Across the board the support I feel is amazing… Our guys all feel it… We do have the support from our administration, our AD is a 10 out of 10, and Bronco nation is amazing we will feel the fans and community out there at the Fiesta Bowl.”

Much like Kenny Dillingham at ASU, Danielson took time to be vocal about getting his assistant coaches paid and advancing the program’s NIL capabilities.