Ashton Jeanty remains the top threat for James Franklin and Penn State, heading to the Fiesta Bowl. Everybody in the Nittany Lions squad is on their edge, crafting plans to keep Jeanty in check. Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen said that Jeanty is a special breed, and they are ready to go all in, giving the kid a hard time. It certainly will not be a walk in the park, but they have a storied defense that surrendered just 280 yards per game so far in the season. Penn State grabs a No. 6 rank nationally in scoring defense (15.9 points allowed), seventh in rushing defense (100.4 yards), and 17th in passing defense (179.6 yards).

Ashton Jeanty’s  2,479 rushing yards, the top in the nation, sure, has its own glory, but it’s not an ultimatum to the Nittany Lions. Not at all. Does Ashton Jeanty’s supremacy still blind your vision? Greg McElroy finds a point to make you believe otherwise.

Ashton Jeanty’s numbers put into context by veteran analyst

”I’m going to be completely honest. Ashton Jeanty just doesn’t get tackled. The guy has forced more missed tackles than anyone in the country this year. He’s recorded over 1600 yards rushing after contact. That’s the most by any player in a season in the last 10 years is okay, so the guy just doesn’t go down,” Greg McElroy said what he deems right about the highly touted RB of the nation at this point in time.

Don’t get it wrong. Your Ashton Jeanty craze is more than justified. No one else put together 192.1 rushing yards per game this season. No one else almost single-handedly carried the entire team to the postseason. Who else dared to give Travis Hunter a tiff nail-biter with a whooping 2,479 rushing yards and lost to him with the slimmest margin in history? Nobody. No one his age is just 131 yards shy from breaking the legendary Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record set at Oklahoma State in 1988. But he’s not god. He has his limitations, even if you don’t believe.

Jeanty ability to wreck up yards after contact this season might tune your mind in two sides. From one point of view, you might think that the guy is so resilient and hard to pin down that he rose after the contact the most. On the other side, you might see it simply as a callous instance of some bad plays and poor decisions. No matter how you view it, it remains a significant and unique page in Jeanty’s films to study. But McElroy thinks the unprecedented hype surrounding him is because he hasn’t faced a top run defense.

”They have not played against top-tier competition against the run. The average Boise State opponent this year has given up 172 rushing yards in a game that would be 96th in the country if you were to average them all up across the board. Actually eight of the 13 defenses that Boise played actually ranked 92nd or worse against the run. Jeanty’s amazing, but is it partially because the teams he’s been playing against aren’t very good at getting opposing ball carriers to the ground?” McElroy asked.

No matter whether Spencer Danielson hears it or not, he, at least, doesn’t take the No 6 seeded Nittany Lions for granted.

Spencer Danielson credits Penn State for their balanced game

While the Nittany Lions head as a heavy favorite, much like they were in the opening round against SMU. They have showcased the amount of harm they can inflict if given a slim chance, as they did against the Mustangs. Danielson sat back and watched the game and couldn’t help being in awe of their integrity and cohesive force. The Boise State head coach said he really respects how Penn State remains on the same page and how efficiently they can deal with any challenges posed by the opponent at any given time.

Danielson fears that Penn State’s phenomenal front can cause trouble in the offensive line and make big tackles. Jeanty can be sure of facing eight or nine Nittany Lions near the line of scrimmage. However, that will hardly make a difference, as per the HC.

The veteran coach said they have faced that from all the defenses they have faced so far. So, they just need to keep their focus and stay ahead of their chain by any means.

Can a 100 per cent healed Ashton Jeanty and Boise State’s offense get through another game without getting their loopholes exposed? Time will unveil the rest.