On December 31st, the Boise State Broncos take on the Penn State Nittany Lions in the storied Fiesta Bowl. Amazingly, these two teams both enter this game without a single Fiesta Bowl loss, combining for a 10-0 record. Boise State comes into the game after a first-round bye but they are still underdogs to Penn State, who is fresh off the destruction of SMU. If Boise State wants to pull off the win, here are three keys to victory.
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1. Embrace the underdog mentality
In every Fiesta Bowl that Boise State has played in, they’ve been underdogs. Yet they always come out on top. They have to embrace the underdog mentality here and they have a lot of feed on. After losing in the Heisman race, fan-favorite Ashton Jeanty has a chip on his shoulder. He’s been counted out, in a sense. All year long, fans and analysts have wondered if his season is merely a result of an easy schedule rather than generational talent. Now, he faces a Big Ten team who ranks 7th in the country in rush yards allowed per game. He still has a lot to prove in this game.
Maddux Madsen has been torn apart all year long for being too short and for not making enough plays. He surely has something to prove, too. Every member of this team is being counted out because they are just a G5 team. A strong Christian movement has taken over this team, and it’s a safe bet that coach Spencer Danielson is teaching the team about David and Goliath this week.
2. Show up in the passing game (on offense and defense)
In the Mountain West Championship, Maddux Madsen showed signs of big play ability, and it wasn’t the first game this season. The problem has been consistency. But he is missing less passes and generally takes care of the ball. His receivers are also helping out by dropping fewer passes. On defense, CB A’Marion McCoy has been attacked all year long with the result being giving up a lot of big plays. But he’s also shown great improvement, as have the other defensive backs. He played a key role in the conference championship game and will again against Penn State. This game will only be won if the passing game is working.
3. Shutdown Tyler Warren and Abdul Carter
This isn’t an easy task, but these two studs are a huge part of Penn State’s gameplan. Warren is the leading receiver for the Nittany Lions and Carter is attempting to follow in Micah Parson’s footsteps, as he’s currently projected to go as high as 2nd in the draft. Expect a lot of double teams to keep him off of Ashton Jeanty and Maddux Madsen. Likewise, expect a mixture of DBs and LBs covering Warren as he moves around the formation.
Expect Fireworks or a Blowout
This is the path to success in the Fiesta Bowl for the Boise State Broncos. If they can embrace the haters and channel the underdog mentality as they have many times before, they may be able to stop the Penn State playmakers and pull out the win. If they can’t do these things, expect a very, very long game.
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