Tom Allen has coached against one running back that even remotely compares to Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty. That would be Derrick Henry, the Baltimore Ravens’ star who won the Heisman Trophy at Alabama in 2015. Jeanty, himself, nearly won a Heisman this season. He didn’t, but remains one of the nation’s top overall players and Penn State’s toughest task of 2024.
Jeanty enters Tuesday’s Fiesta Bowl just 131 yards shy of Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record, set in 1988. He’s amid one of the greatest seasons by a running back in college football history. And his 5-foot-9, 215-pound frame hasn’t stopped him from breaking tackles at an alarming rate, leading the country with 1,889 yards after contact.
“He’s special. I’ve enjoyed — well, I don’t know if I’ve enjoyed it — but it’s been impressive to watch his film, studying him,” Allen said on Friday. “The thing that just stands out, he just doesn’t go down. I mean, he gets hit and has tremendous balance. I just think the ability for him to break tackles is really phenomenal.”
As if his season wasn’t already impressive, Jeanty has played through an elbow injury he sustained against UNLV on Oct. 25. Jeanty said on Thursday his elbow is now “completely healed.” He feels as healthy as he’s been since the Broncos’ season-opening 56-45 win over Georgia Southern, a game Jeanty took 20 carries for 267 yards and six touchdowns.
“It’s been a blessing to have this much time off. Last time I was feeling this super fresh, you saw what I did,” Jeanty said. “Hopefully not just me, but the whole offense and defense, we can all play our best game.”
Jeanty’s numbers are comically impressive. He rushed for over 200 yards in six different games this year. His season-low rushing tally is 127 yards, which he obtained on just 11 carries. Jeanty has eight rushes worth over 60 yards this season and three of which have come in Boise State’s last three games while he was banged up.
He’s a machine. But Jeanty hasn’t played against a defensive unit like Penn State’s. The Nittany Lions have allowed just 100.5 rushing yards per game this season, and rank No. 6 nationally in that statistical category. Boise State has faced just two of the top-40 run defenses this season, UNLV and Oregon, which rank No. 24 and 35, respectively.
Penn State players, like defensive tackle Dvon J-Thomas, recognize and appreciate the challenge at hand. They want to be the first group to hold the immaculate Jeanty under 100 rushing yards.
“It’s the Heisman runner-up, and I consider myself to be a run stopper,” J-Thomas said, “so to go against the Heisman runner-up, who’s also the best running back in the country, that’s a treat for anybody who considers himself a competitor at my position.”
The competitive instinct goes both ways. The NFL Draft looms, and Jeanty will almost certainly be the top running back selected. But with a convincing performance against a Nittany Lion defense with fellow draft prospects such as Abdul Carter, Jaylen Reed and Zane Durant, Jeanty has something to prove.
“For me, I want to play against the best of the best competition,” Jeanty said. “This is the biggest platform to do that in college football right now, against one of the best teams in the nation. This is always the best thing for me, to play against the best competition.”
James Franklin helped develop Saquon Barkley and coached against running backs such as Jonathan Taylor and Ezekiel Elliot. But, to this point, no one quite compares to Jeanty. It’s possible that, in the near future, no one will. That’s how good Ashton Jeanty has been this season.
“Obviously, we’ve played a lot of good backs over the years, but he’s gonna go down as one of the greatest ones we’ve ever played against,” Allen said.
