Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson had the weekend off to watch and begin an early Fiesta Bowl preparation for Penn State in its win over SMU on Saturday. He said he understands that the Nittany Lions were “a touchdown away from being the Big Ten champs and probably being the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs,” and shouldn’t be taken lightly.
From oozing praise for tight end Tyler Warren to discussing how special teams coordinator Stacy Collins, who served in the same role with Penn State the previous two seasons, can give his team an edge, here is everything Danielson said about the Nittany Lions in his press conference on Monday.
What stands out in Penn State running back Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen?
Danielson: Offensively, they put you in a lot of conflict. Their new offensive coordinator, Andy, does a phenomenal job shifting, motioning a bunch of different personnels, and they’re very, very talented across the board, so we got to do a great job with our communication, our eye control, just to deal with all the pre-snap issues, along with a lot of schematics that attack you.
“I think we’re going to defend two of the best running backs we’ve seen all year. And I don’t even know it’s close. These two backs are elite. Not only do they have the top end speed, but they can also break any arm attack you come with.”
Is Tyler Warren the most unique player Boise State has faced this year?
Danielson: They got one of the best tight ends in the entire country. Gonna be a first day draft pick, and it’s deserved. What I love about Tyler, No. 44, is he’s not just a pass catcher, which he is. He’ll line up at Wildcat, he catches a ton of balls, but he’s also extremely physical to the point of attack in the run game. And they got multiple tight ends with him.
“… Tyler Warren is elite, and that’s not just my opinion. I’m very positive he’s going to be probably the first tight end taken off the board in the NFL Draft because of that. He can do it all. More times than not, when you see a tight end, he’s a really good pass catcher, and you got to deal with that, or he’s really dominant and physical to the point of attack in the run game. With Tyler Warren, he does it all.
“He is extremely violent at the point of attack, either at the front side of a play or on the back side rim of a play. He can catch every ball. He’s one of their top targets in all downs, and he can play Wildcat and throw the ball too. You talk about just an extremely gifted athlete. We got to know where 44 is at all times. And even when you got him covered, he’s the type of athlete that he’s still not covered because of how tall he is, how athletic is. He can go up and get those jump balls anytime he wants.”
“… Prior to even watching the game this weekend versus SMU, even on the film study on the season he’s had to date and talking with a lot of coaches that have played against Tyler, every single one of them just talked about how elite he was in every phase of the game. The second we talked to defensive coordinators that have played against Penn State, the first guy they all brought up was Tyler Warren and that he is better than maybe you might even think he is.”
“It’s one of those where you keep waiting for what are some flaws in his game? Is someone gonna find something? Even when you watch film, if there are any, it’s hard to find, because what he’s able to do in the pasa game, in the run game, as a quarterback. He’s one of the best I’ve seen in a long time, and he’s a huge part of what they do offensively and as a team.”
Who are some defensive players who stand out?
Danielson: Defensively, it was on full display, what they did this weekend versus SMU. I mean, one of the best fronts we’ve seen all season. Obviously, everybody knows about Abdul Carter, No. 11, an elite edge rusher. And talk about a young man that’s relentless to the football on both sides. No. 33 as well. Relentless to get to the quarterback.
“Kobe (King), No. 41, their linebacker, can go sideline to sideline. Really like their safety, No. 1. So they’ve got a bunch of players on defense that are absolutely relentless. They’re extremely talented. They play really well together, and it’s really hard to get them misaligned, even on shifts and motions, different things.”
“They’re very well coached. Coach (Tom) Allen’s done a really good job with that unit. They get lined up, they’re on the same page, and then they pin their ears back, and they’re on the attack. One of the top run defenses in the country, one of the top defenses in the country in regards to points scored against him. So we got our work cut out for us in that end.”
What challenges does Abdul Carter present?
Danielson: Going back through our season this year, I don’t think we’ve seen a defensive player like him. Very, very impressed with his game. Being able to transition from inside linebacker to edge, and the success he’s had, and not just the statistics, which he has all those — he’s got 11 sacks, bunch of TFLs, bunch of tackles — I love the relentlessness he plays with.
“He’s a guy that you better know where 11 is at all times. And just to give you the best shot to block him, to get hands on him, because even if you slide to him, even if you chip him, he’s so long, so explosive, one of the most elite get-offs I’ve seen in a long time as an edge player.”
“He’s a nightmare to deal with. And not only is he doing that in the pass game, the amount of plays I’ve seen him run down from the backside by relentless pursuit., it’s too many to count. So I love the way he plays the game. He plays it with his hair on fire. And he’s a guy you better know where he’s at at all times and have an answer for. He’s a game wrecker.”
What makes Penn State’s run defense so successful?
Danielson: When it comes to stopping the run, it’s not one position group. I think a lot of focus usually goes to the defensive front, which it should be. They are at the point of attack. But what I respect Penn State for so much is that they are always on the same page. They’re not going to give up no-one-in-a-gap big runs or no leverage to the defense. They’re very well coached. They’ve got good answers for whatever schemes you’re going to give them. They align very well, the shifts and motions and odd formations.
“Obviously, going against their offense in fall camp has helped him as well. So they’ve got a phenomenal front that can impose their will on an offensive line, but once you create situations for their DBs and linebackers to tackle, they show up and make big tackles, as well. So what I respect so much about their whole defense, especially with stopping the run, is how well they work together and they’re very assignment sound.”
What was the ‘biggest’ takeaway from Penn State’s win over SMU?
Danielson: Just how well coached they are, really in all three phases. You talk about from the start of the game to the end, creating takeaways by their defense. Just started so fast, there wasn’t any working into the game. In all three phases, they’re extremely well coached, very, very talented across the board.
“But they’re not just out there running around. They’re extremely well coached. They’re disciplined in all three phases. And obviously when you watch the film, you can slow it down in your office. But even watching it live, I think that’s what was on full display for me.”
How can former Penn State assistant Stacy Collins give Boise State an edge?
Danielson: It’s been awesome. He’s been able to talk through some of the things they did there. He’s able to talk through some of the personnel. Obviously, they hired a new special teams coordinator. They’re doing some similar things, but they got a lot of new stuff they’re using. So not so much a help, maybe in that phase.
“But Stacy Collins, the amount of prep he goes into to be able to game plan all special teams, like he does all of it, from the field goal, field goal block, to all the all four units. So being able to have an idea of their personnel, knowing kind of a little bit about who these players are, some of the things they did last year, they do have some similarities. They have evolved and grown. It is helpful, but we’re looking at it for face value for how we can play our best on special teams?”
“And we have grown at the end of the season, we need to do a really good job winning the hidden yards in this game. It’s going to be hard. They’ve played really good on special teams, extremely physical, very explosive, but being able to pick his brain every week we play special teams is huge for me and game management, as well. But it does help me that he was at Penn State, and he can have a little bit of an inside view to some of the personnel.”
“… If you know him, he’s excited for every matchup. You come into a special teams meeting and it’s on. No matter what time of day it is swat on the ready and you better be ready. So I know he’s fired up for this game, but not just because it’s Penn State. He knows this team, but as a whole team, we’re fired up to put the ball down on the 31st.”
