Boise State coach Spencer Danielson knows his team is a massive (by College Football Playoff standards) a massive underdog against Penn State, and he loves it.
Despite being 12-1 and having maybe the best player in America in RB Ashton Jeanty (2,497 yards, 29 touchdowns, 7.3 yards per carry), Boise State opened in as a 10.5-point “dog” this weekend.
A big reason is that Boise State plays in the Mountain West, which, well, isn’t the Big Ten, so for many— apparently Vegas included— 12 wins for Boise State holds less weight than 12 for Penn State.
But for Danielson, this is all fine and dandy.
WHAT DANIELSON SAID
SAN DIEGO, CA – SEPTEMBER 22: Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (2) runs for a touchdown in the fourth quarter during a college football game between the Boise State Broncos and the San Diego State Aztecs on September 22, 2023, at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, CA. (Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire)
“That’s our mentality here, not just for this game, playing the Fiesta Bowl, but that’s what Boise State’s been built on,” Danielson told reporters at his pre-Fiesta Bowl presser Tuesday. “And we got to earn our right through our prep to go play our best against one of the top football teams in the country, but I believe in our team, and that’s why we talk man, please count us out. People do media or people count us out, because I know how we’re going to work, and I know we’re going to work to play our absolute best on the 31st so if nobody gives us a chance, if the point spread continues to grow, whatever and I and I tell people to like, hey, use this as motivation. This team doesn’t need any more motivation. Like we’ve been in playoff football since September, and it’s one week at a time, working to play our best, counting us out, or you can’t keep this up, or what’s going to happen. And our guys continue to work, continue to do what’s required of them, and continue to improve every every week. So all the outside noise of people counting us out. Awesome. We’ve been with the outside noise of everybody saying how great we are. On either side. You got to blow out the outside noise and and I believe that, like, Please count us out. I mean, that’s what Boise State Football has been built on, is, is people thinking we can’t do something, and we work our tails off to find a way to prove people wrong. And that’s I believe, in our team, wherever we I mean, and we use the phrase put the ball down, like, where it doesn’t matter the stadium doesn’t matter what fans are there, like, on the 31st put the ball down. We’re gonna be ready.”
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.HE HAS A POINT
BOISE, ID – SEPTEMBER 21: Boise State Broncos Head Football Coach Spencer Danielson during a college football game between the Portland State Vikings and the Boise State Broncos on September 21, 2024, at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, ID. (Photo by Tyler Ingham/Icon Sportswire)
Danielson is right: Boise State is used to being the underdog. As a matter of fact, the Broncos are responsible for one of the biggest upsets in college football history, which, ironically, took place in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma in 2006.
That’s the game that put Boise State on the national map, and coach James Franklin and Penn State have a chance to end Boise’s hopes of further establishing itself in 2024.
No. 6 Penn State and No. 3 Boise State are scheduled to kickoff at 7:30 on ESPN New Year’s Eve night.
