Ashton Jeanty and the Boise State Broncos essentially came out of nowhere to become one of the top teams in the country, won the Mountain West Conference and earned a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.
Boise State finished 12-1 and undefeated against conference opponents. With Penn State on the schedule Tuesday night, the Broncos are leaning into the underdog mantra. The Broncos are asking the media, fans and whoever else to “please count us out.”
“I think Boise State as a program is just counted out,” Jeanty said, via ESPN. “I would say we embraced it, but that’s been the story for us. We’ve been the underdogs for a long, long time. We’re just here to prove that we can compete with the best of the best.”
Jeanty is the face of the underdog story.
He finished second to Travis Hunter in Heisman Trophy voting all while racking up 2,497 rushing yards and 29 rushing touchdowns. It was the second straight season he led the nation in rushing yards. He has Barry Sanders’ rushing yards record (2,628) in his sights but will need a few more games under his belt to potentially get there.
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“It all starts and revolves around Jeanty,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said. “In any other year, the guy wins the Heisman and you can make the argument he should have won it this year.”
The Boise State football program knows about slaying giants.
The Broncos upset Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl in 2007 behind a famous hook-and-ladder play and then the Statue of Liberty play from Jared Zabransky to Ian Johnson. The win put Boise State on the college football map and they have seldom left the spotlight.
Beating Penn State, a blue blood school when it comes to college football, would be just as big of a win for the school’s history.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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