College Football Playoff - Quarterfinal takeaways, analysis - ESPN
The first College Football Playoff quarterfinals kicked off with the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Eve. Despite previous magic in Glendale, Arizona, Boise State couldn't overcome a poor start, and Penn State rolled to a 31-14 win. With three more quarterfinals on deck Wednesday, here are the key takeaways from the Nittany Lions' win.
Penn State enjoyed a nearly perfect first quarter and held on. The Nittany Lions went up 14-0 after gorgeous Drew Allar touchdown passes to Tyler Warren and Omari Evans and averaged 9.6 yards per play in the first quarter, but despite a season-low 104 rushing yards from Ashton Jeanty, Boise State clawed back into the game thanks to a career-best performance from quarterback Maddux Madsen (304 passing yards). The Broncos got to within 17-14 in the third quarter and had multiple chances to get back within one score in the fourth quarter. But one red zone trip resulted in a devastating penalty and an interception, and another resulted in Jonah Dalmas' second missed field goal attempt.
Boise outgained Penn State 412-387 but missed opportunities doomed a spirited Broncos squad. And with 4:54 left, Nicholas Singleton broke free for a 58-yard touchdown that put away the game.
Nick Singleton gallops 58 yards down the field to pad Penn State's lead late in the fourth quarter.
Madsen kept the Broncos in the game, but he threw three fourth-quarter interceptions as they became more desperate. Penn State moves on to the semifinals for the first time.
Total yards: BSU 412 (5.5 per play), PSU 387 (5.9 per play)
Turnovers: BSU 4, PSU 1
Scoring opportunities (first downs inside the opponent's 40 or touchdowns from outside the 40): PSU 6, BSU 6
Points per scoring opportunities: PSU 5.2, BSU 2.3
Drew Allar