Penn State football has already made history this season with the first College Football Playoff victory in program history.
Now, James Franklin and the 6-seeded Nittany Lions (12-2) will look to make more when they travel to Glendale, Arizona to take on 3 seed Boise State (12-1) in the CFP Fiesta Bowl quarterfinal game.
The Broncos were one of four teams that received a coveted first-round bye, and had the luxury of watching Penn State’s 38-10 win over SMU in the first round of the CFP.
Whether that time off will benefit the Broncos remains to be seen, though Penn State will certainly have its hands full with a team that went on an 11-game win streak after dropping a closely contested game at Oregon in Week 2 of the 2024 college football season. The Broncos lost 37-34 to the Ducks — the No. overall seed of the 2024-25 CFP — whereas the Nittany Lions lost 45-37 in the Big Ten championship game.
Arguably the biggest matchup of the game is how linebacker Abdul Carter and the Penn State defense will handle Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. The Heisman Trophy runner-up has rushed 344 times for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns. Jeanty, whom Franklin called one of the best running backs in college football history, is 132 yards away from passing Sanders’ single-season rushing record.
With that, follow along for live updates, scores and highlights from the Fiesta Bowl between the Nittany Lions and Broncos:
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This section will be updated when the game begins.
The Nittany Lions take a 17-7 lead into the locker room at the Fiesta Bowl against the Broncos after Penn State kicker Ryan Barker hits the 40-yard field goal. Big play of the drive came on a first-and-10 pass to the left sideline that was reeled in by wide receiver Omari Evans for a 17-yard gain.
Penn State is one half away from advancing to its first ever CFP semifinals.
Penn State continues to shoot itself in the foot with a holding penalty, as a hold and face mask on offensive lineman Sal Wormley erase a 50-yard carry from Kaytron Allen and an 11-yard carry from Nick Singleton. It would have been a first-and-10 in the red zone for Penn State if Wormley didn’t get called for the hold on Allen’s carry.
Though Penn State got help from Boise State to extend its drive, the Nittany Lions don’t help themselves out as they are called for two false start penalties and a 12-yard sack on Drew Allar.
The Nittany Lions defense heads back out on the field looking to make a stop. Penn State leads 14-7 with 5:14 remaining in the second quarter.
Penn State is bailed out of a third-and-8 incompletion, as Boise State’s Ty Benefield is called for a hold in the Broncos’ secondary.
The drive continues for the Nittany Lions, who now have a first-and-10 at their 37-yard line.
The Broncos are on the board, as full back Tyler Crowe pushes through Penn State’s defensive line for the 8-yard rushing touchdown. Penn State heads back out on offense with a 14-7 lead in the second quarter.
Allar and Co. try to break out a trick play on third-and-3 from the 17-yard line, but it gets snuffed out qickly. The Nittany Lions punt the ball 58 yards, but an 18-yard return gives the Broncos the ball great field position near midfield. Defense will need to stand strong again here.
The Nittany Lions bow up on defense, allowing only 17 yards before forcing a punt to get the ball back. They’ll take over at their 10-yard line.
A poor handoff between Allar and Nick Singlegon on the zone read results in the ball hitting the turf, and Boise State was perfectly positioned to jump on it. The Broncos will take over at their own 35-yard line.
Just as it looked Jeanty was getting going with some nice runs, he fumbles the ball on a tackle by Kobe King. The ball pops out, right into the waiting hands of Zakee Wheatley along the sideline. Penn State gets the ball back with great field position!
Penn State wastes no time on its second drive, driving 56 yards in four plays for another touchdown. It’s punctuated with a 38-yard touchdown connection from Allar to Omari Evans, who got behind the defender and made a beautiful over-the-shoulder catch. Nittany Lions lead 14-0 with 3:35 left to play in the first quarter.
It’s a three-and-out for Boise State, as Dani Dennis-Sutton sacks Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen for a 4-yard loss. Nittany Lions will start at their 45-yard line after a fair catch from Zion Tracy.
The Nittany Lions take advantage of good field position by moving down the field for an opening-drive touchdown. Penn State’s score came on an 11-yard touchdown pass to the back of the end zone, from Drew Allar to Tyler Warren.
Boise State had no answer for Penn State’s running game with Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton on the nine-play drive, as both combined for 55 rushing yards. Penn State leads 7-0 in the first quarter of the Fiesta Bowl!
Facing a fourth-and-2 at the Penn State 28-yard line, Boise State opts to take the points instead of rolling the dice on fourth down. However, the Broncos’ 45-yard field goal attempt from Jonah Dalmas is blocked by Penn State’s special teams unit. Nittany Lions get the ball at their 28-yard line.
The Nittany Lions win the coin toss and defer the kickoff to the second half. We are underway in the Fiesta Bowl!
Just a few minutes away from kick off in The Valley between Penn State and Boise State! The Nittany Lions are looking to keep their perfect 7-0 record in the Fiesta Bowl alive.
It appears that Penn State will wear its home blue uniform for Tuesday’s CFP quarterfinals game against Boise State.
Hip-hop artist Flavor Flav is in attendance at State Farm Stadium for Tuesday’s CFP quarterfinals matchup between Penn State and Boise State, and it looks like he may be rooting for the Nittany Lions.
“This is Flavor Flav with the heavy plate and I just can’t wait to get back to Penn State,” Flavor Flav, who was the hype man for the U.S. men’s and women’s water polo team at the Paris Olympics, said in the video.
Drew Allar appears to be locked in for Tuesday’s Fiesta Bowl vs. Boise State, as the Nittany Lions and him get off the bus and walk into State Farm Stadium. Allar finished 13 of 22 passing for 127 yards in Penn State’s CFP first-round win over No. 11 SMU.
James Franklin has arrived at State Farm Stadium for Tuesday’s Fiesta Bowl vs. Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. Franklin is 3-2 in New Year’s Six bowls in his 11 seasons at Penn State.
The Nittany Lions enter Tuesday’s game against Boise State with a 7-0 record in Fiesta Bowl, which is the most wins for Penn State in a New Year’s Six bowl game.
Here’s a full list of scores of past Fiesta Bowl games that Penn State has competed in:
Penn State vs. Boise State will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick and Kris Budden will be on the call. Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app (with a cable login) and Fubo, the latter of which offers a free trial to new subscriber
Penn State and Boise State have never played before, with Tuesday’s meeting being the first between the two programs. The Nittany Lions are 5-0 all time vs. current Mountain West Conference opponents.
REQUIRED READING:Who needs offense? Not Penn State football in CFP as defense outscores SMU
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Monday, Dec. 30
This section will be updated.
According to hourly forecasts for Glendale, Arizona from The Weather Channel, temperatures will be between 60 and 63 degrees around kickoff at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. There will be zero chance of precipitation, with winds blowing between 1-2 mph.
State Farm Stadium is an indoor stadium and therefore will not be affected by outside weather.
* Denotes Big Ten game
** Denotes CFP bracket seeding
* Denotes Mountain West game
** Denotes CFP ranking
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