Courtesy of Boise State

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Boise State’s historic season came to an end following a 31-14 loss to Penn State in the 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium, Tuesday night.

The Broncos (12-2, 7-0 Mountain West) outgained the Nittany Lions (13-2, 8-1 Big 10) in the loss, recording 412 total yards to Penn State’s 387. Boise State held the advantage in the passing game, 304-171, while the Nittany Lions outrushed the Broncos, 216-108.

Maddux Madsen recorded his second career game with over 300 yards in the air, finishing with 304 passing yards and completing 23 of his 35 passing attempts. Ashton Jeanty rushed for over 100 yards for the 14th game this season, while Matt Lauter matched his career-high with 96 receiving yards.

Penn State opened the game with a two-score advantage after converting both of its opening possessions. Drew Allar first found Tyler Warren for an 11-yard touchdown on the Nittany Lion’s first drive, then found Omari Evans for a 38-yard score to give Penn State a 14-0 advantage after the first frame.

Seyi Oladipo recovered a fumble in the second quarter, setting up a eight-play, 52-yard Bronco touchdown drive. Tyler Crowe found the end zone from eight yards out to cap the response, cutting the Bronco deficit to seven. The Nittany Lions converted a field goal as time expired in the half to take a 17-7 lead into the locker room.

The Broncos cut the lead to three on their first possession of the second half, when Madsen found a wide open Lauter for a 53-yard touchdown down strike. Penn State responded on the ensuing drive, marching 75 yards down the field, converting on Warren’s second touchdown reception of the night to take a 24-14 lead.

The Nittany Lions put the exclamation point on the contest with just under five minutes remaining in the final quarter, when Nicholas Singleton scored off a 58-yard touchdown run.

Notables
• Boise State recorded over 400 yards on offense for the ninth time this season.
• Ashton Jeanty finished the season with 2,739 yards from scrimmage, climbing into third place in single-season yards from scrimmage in NCAA history. The junior running back passed Barry Sanders (Oklahoma State, 1988) and Christian McCaffery (Stanford, 2015), who recorded 2,734 yards and 2,664 yards, respectively.
• Jeanty set the program’s single-season record for rushing attempts (374), passing Jay Ajayi, who rushed 347 times in 2014.
• Matt Lauter finished the year with 47 receptions, the most by a tight end in any of Boise State’s FBS seasons (since 1996).
• With 619 receiving yards on the season, Lauter moved into second place in program history for receiving yards by a tight end in a single season. The redshirt junior passed Del Graven, who reached 569 yards in 1993.

Top Broncos
• Ashton Jeanty finished with 104 rushing yards. The Heisman runner-up recorded over 100 yards rushing in all 14 games on the season.
• Matt Lauter matched his career with 96 receiving yards on four receptions.
• Maddux Madsen recorded his second career game with over 300 yards passing. The redshirt sophomore quarterback finished with 304 passing yards.
• Ty Benefield led the team with nine tackles, six of which were solo.
• Three of Ahmed Hassanein’s six tackles were TFLS, including a 12-yard sack in the second quarter.