SCOTTSDALE, Arizona | Penn State coach James Franklin kicked off Fiesta Bowl media day with a photo op with the Fiesta Bowl mascot. "Come on up, Spirit," Franklin said before posing for a few photos. As much "business trip" lingo as Franklin has used this week, he's also maintaining a light, curious tone.
But soon it was back to workworkwork, as the Nittany Lions bore down in preparation to face the Boise State Broncos on New Year's Eve. Penn State and Boise State spent a few hours talking about the game, which will be the first quarterfinal game of this season's College Football Playoff. Here's a sampling of what the Nittany Lions said on Fiesta Bowl media day.
On Boise State's 'Please Count Us Out' slogan: I know they got off the planes [Saturday] with some shirts ["Please Count Us Out"], maybe kind of an underdog mentality, or not getting respect. I can guarantee you, they have our respect. We take a lot of pride in that as a program we respect everybody that we play, but it's not hard to create that when you watch them on tape. Boise is a really, really good football team led by arguably the best player in college football, and definitely the best running back [Ashton Jeanty] in college football, or one of the best running backs in college football. They have our respect, there's no doubt about that. Our guys have done a great job all week long preparing.
On playing a common opponent in Oregon: When you talk about, respecting our opponent, that's the only game you got to watch. They went to Oregon, which is a tough place to play, and they not only played well and lost by three, but had the lead for significant parts of that game. It doesn't take a whole lot more than watching that game. But for our players and our staff, whenever you share a common opponent and you're able to watch that game and make some parallels, there's a ton of value in that. That game was very valuable for our staff and very valuable for our coaches.
On Penn State's approach to the Fiesta Bowl: At Penn State, we are in these types of games. That's why we come to Penn State, to be able to play in games like this. We are not backing down from that challenge or not afraid of the challenge ahead of us. We embrace it, because this is what we signed up for when we all signed to come here and play football. We want to be in these types of environments and playing these types of games. So there's no point in really not embracing it. It's just about sticking to our process and the things that have gotten us to this point this year.
On Boise State's strategy of stacking the line of scrimmage: It's unique and it can cause a lot of stress just in the pass protection game in general. I think we have a good plan right now. They do a lot of different things which can cause us a lot of stress, but I think the coaches have done a great job of giving us a good game plan and answers if those things do pop up. So for me, I look forward to it because it's another challenge and they are statistically a really good defense. It will be a huge challenge for us, but we're up to it for sure.
On his favorite aspect of playing tight end: I think it is we don't have one specific job. We can block all game and run routes and do a bunch of different stuff. That's the fun part about playing it. Filling the different needs of the offense from week to week. And the tight end room loves doing that.
On the biggest challenge his offense faces vs. Boise State: I think being able to establish a running game is always important. I think that will be a big part to get that going, obviously, with everything else. Honestly, I think any football game you play, it's going to start with the run game. So that's a big key to it.
On what makes Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty special: The way he makes something out of nothing. He gets hit in the backfield and makes a 25-yard gain. He's a great back. I love watching him all season and to be able to play against him this week is cool.
On Ashton Jeanty: If we hit him on contact, he keeps his balance. He's low to the ground, low center or gravity. They have a great running back, but we also have two good running backs. … He has about 2,000 yards after contact. That's what we have to focus on. We have two great running backs in the country in Nick [Singleton] and Kaytron [Allen]. We know how to prepare for this situation.
On mistakes defenses make against Jeanty: I would say panicking. A lot of people panic, and you can't really panic. He can stiff-arm you, run you over.
On Boise State's defense: They have a fast defense. I just feel like we have a good plan on offense. We have to have a big game for us to come out on top. So, we're taking care of our bodies. We're in the film room and all that. I feel confident in the offense.
On Penn State playing last week and Boise State having three weeks off: There's both advantages and disadvantages. Advantage, obviously they have two or three weeks off to take care of their bodies, while we played last week. But at the same time, it's crazy, you rest three weeks, then you got to get back, while we played last week. We're in a rhythm, ready to play and all that. There's both advantages and disadvantages, too, just depends on who's going to come out and play.
Penn State faces Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
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Mark Wogenrich is Editor and Publisher of AllPennState, the site for Penn State news on SI's FanNation Network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs and three Rose Bowls.
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