There were signs: Boise State had a terrible pregame omen for CFP beatdown

Boise State's terrible, no good first quarter against Penn State in their CFP quarterfinal Fiesta Bowl matchup seemed destined in the stars after a pregame slip resulted in a embarrassing moment before the start of the game. As noted on X, Boise State offensive lineman Roger Carreon tripped while carrying what appeared to be the American flag as the program took the field against Penn State.

The program was unable to do much in the first quarter with the team's only good possession resulting in a missed 45-yard field goal from kicker Jonah Dalmas. The bad luck bug even hit the Broncos star Heisman finalist Ashton Jeanty fumbling the ball, giving Penn State safety a chance to make amazing recovery while staying in bounds.

Early on, the Broncos awkward fall to start the game was the worst of their troubles as Penn State took an early 14-0 lead towards the end of the first quarter. Considering the early lead, it seemed like Lions would be able to easily advance to the next round of the College Football Playoff. While they wouldn't be able to overcome their premature fall, Boise State was able to give the Lions a run for their money in the loss.

Boise State fell flat early but gave Penn State a game

While the final score might suggest that the Broncos got blown out from the start, the Mountain West champions were able to keep the Lions within striking distance at halftime. Boise State was also only down by one score in the second quarter. Although one could assume that Penn State was only playing with their food, it's likely that Boise State was able to disrupt exact plans that James Franklin had for his offense in this game.

Even though the team's early poor performance wasn't the only reason that they lost, it's clear that a better offensive turnout in the early part of the game would have presented Spencer Danielson Broncos an actual chance in one where it seemed like they had very little.

Additionally, the Broncos could have benefited from better special teams play in the fourth quarter as kicker Jonah Dalmas missed a 38-yard field goal that would have allowed the Broncos to narrow the deficit to one score. Despite Boise State still having a little over nine minutes to get two consecutive stops, it was a tall task.

A couple of plays later, Penn State RB Nicholas Singleton would run 58 yards for a touchdown, allowing them to take a 31-14 lead. Much like their pregame entrance, Boise State was unable to overcome an early fall against Penn State and ended their season in somewhat humiliating fashion.