As expected, James Franklin talked about Boise State’s best player in his first pre-Fiesta Bowl presser Monday afternoon.
Whether Penn State fans want to admit it or not, most of them are probably only thinking about one Boise State player: Ashton Jeanty.
Many feel he is the best player in college football.
The numbers would back that up.
Jeanty finished runner-up to Colorado’s Travis Hunter in the Heisman trophy voting and did so by putting up video game-esque numbers.
Through 13 games, Jeanty has rushed for— you’re not about to misread this— 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns, averaging 7.3 yards per carry. He’s 133 yards away from Barry Sanders’ single season NCAA record.
So, yeah, Penn State will have its hands full and coach James Franklin knows it.
WHAT FRANKLIN SAID
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: James Franklin
Franklin said Jeanty likely would have won the Heisman Trophy most years and many could argue should have won it this year.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.So what does Jeanty do well?
“He is compact. He’s 5-10. He has the ability to run away from you, has the ability to make you miss. They get him involved in the pass game, get him involved in the run game. And then the quarterback (Maddux Madsen) is impressive as well. He reminds me a little bit of the quarterback that we faced in West Virginia (Garrett Greene) that we had a ton of respect for on tape when we played them. But they’re a problem, and I think that it starts and ends with the running back and I think they do a really good job of not only getting him the ball in the run game but then also in the pass game and also using him in play-action pass to create some opportunities to get some explosive plays down the field in the passing game. So it will be a definite challenge for us. But they’re kind of a two-headed monster, both athletic guys. Both of them aren’t the biggest guys in the world but are really good, productive football players that have done it week in and week out against everybody.”
VEGAS STILL LIKES PENN STATE
GLENDALE, AZ – DECEMBER 30: Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin speaks to the crowd after the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl college football game between the Washington Huskies and the Penn State Nittany Lions on December 30, 2017, at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ. The Nittany Lions defeated the Huskies 35-28. (Photo by Carlos Herrera/Icon Sportswire)
Even with all of Jeanty’s greatness, Penn State is a 10.5-point favorite, which is borderline crazy for a College Football Playoff Game. There are a few reasons for this.
For one, despite being the lower seed, Penn State is the higher-ranked team in the AP Poll (No. 4 vs. No. 9). Penn State also gets more inherent respect because it’s in the Big Ten compared to Boise State’sconference, the Mountain West.
Penn State has played in seven Fiesta Bowl games and won all of them, which also helps its odds. The first six took place under Joe Paterno. In the James Franklin era, Penn State is— no pun intended— 1-0 in Fiesta Bowl games. The team beat Washington 35-28 in 2017.Leading Penn State was 137 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries from Saquon Barkley.
Penn State-Boise State is scheduled to kick off at 7 on ESPN.
