Dec 25, 2024
The Associated Press Spencer Danielson is only in his second season as the head coach of the Boise State football program.
By Andy Stine
astine@altoonamirror.com
Boise State coach Spencer Danielson hasn’t been on the job for very long.
He was serving as the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach when the university fired Andy Avalos last season. Danielson was named the interim coach and ended up leading the Broncos to a Mountain West championship, and the university dropped the interim tag the following day after the championship game.
Danielson, who is the fifth-youngest FBS coach at 36, has turned out to be the right choice. He led his team to a 12-1 season and another Mountain West title, and secured the No. 3 seed in the College Football Playoff.
The reward is playing No. 6 Penn State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Fiesta Bowl, where the Broncos have a storied history. The program is 3-0 in the game, including the 2007 game where Boise State successfully ran the “Statue of Liberty” play for a 2-point conversion to win over Oklahoma in overtime.
Danielson said his team will be wearing the same uniforms as the Broncos did in the previous three Fiesta Bowl games with blue helmets, white jerseys, and orange pants.
“I have zero swag. I have zero feel of what people might want,” Danielson said. “I knew the second we were playing in the Fiesta Bowl, that wasn’t even going to be a conversation. Whatever we did prior, that’s what people are going to want.”
Danielson said what the Nittany Lions were able to do against No. 11 SMU in the first round was ‘very impressive.’
“I don’t know Coach (James) Franklin, but I think very highly of him,” Danielson said. “A ton of respect for him. They’re a touchdown away from being the Big Ten champs and probably the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs.”
Double the fun
Boise State has what most consider the best running back in the country in Ashton Jeanty, who finished second in the Heisman Trophy race behind Colorado’s Travis Hunter. But Danielson said his team will be defending two of the best running backs his defense has seen this season in Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen.
“And I don’t even know if it’s close,” Danielson added. “These two backs are elite.”
Singleton and Allen rushed for a combined 160 yards against SMU.
The Tyler Warren effect
Tyler Warren was largely held in check against SMU, finishing with just four catches and 33 yards and one carry for six yards.
But Danielson isn’t letting one game fool the Broncos. He recognizes that Warren is a special talent that can do more than just catch passes.
“He’s going to be a first day draft pick, and it’s deserved,” Danielson said. “He’ll line up at Wildcat. He’s extremely physical.
“Tyler Warren is elite. That’s not just my opinion. I’m very positive he’ll be the first tight end taken off the board because of that. He can do it all. We have to know where 44 is at all times. Even when you have him covered, he’s the type of athlete that he’s still not covered because of how tall he is, how athletic he is, he can go get those jump balls anytime he wants to.”
An underdog story
Boise State will be moving to the PAC-12 in 2026, but the team has been a true underdog, even since before joining the Mountain West in 2011.
Chris Petersen got the ball rolling for the Broncos with the team consistently being in the top-10 from his era from 2006-13. Bryan Harsin had similar success from 2014-20, but the program was not competing up to its standards after Harsin’s departure to Auburn.
And even with the Broncos being the third seed in the College Football Playoffs, they are still an underdog today as a 10 ½-point underdog against Penn State.
“That’s kind of what Boise State has been built on,” Danielson said. “We have 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. Please count us out. I know how we’re going to work. If nobody gives us a chance and the point spread continues to grow, whatever. This team doesn’t need any more motivation. We’ve been in playoff football since September.”
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