Penn State advances to College Football Playoff semifinals after beating Boise State 31-14

GLENDALE, Ariz. (WPVI) -- Penn State advanced to the College Football Playoff semifinals after defeating Boise State during the Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday night 31-14.

Fans of the Nittany Lions were loud inside City Tap in Center City Philadelphia during the game on New Year's Eve.

As soon as the date for the Fiesta Bowl between Penn State and Boise State was announced, fans had plans for the holiday.

"It's typical Penn State energy, typical Philadelphia energy, so it's exciting to be here," said Molly Mulbihill of King of Prussia.

Organizers of the New Year's Eve two-fer at City Tap said nearly 300 people were expected to enjoy the game and the New Year's Eve celebrations they'd already planned.

"We're just excited to watch the game and watch the ball drop right after. It's the best time of the year," said Janine Cima, City Tap Director of Events & Marketing. "Everybody's in the spirit, the energy's good, so we're just really excited!"

Penn State bottles up Ashton Jeanty

Drew Allar threw three touchdown passes and Penn State bottled up Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty for the win.

The Nittany Lions (13-2, CFP No. 6 seed) opened their first CFP berth with a blowout win over SMU and appeared headed toward the latest lopsided victory in the new 12-team format by jumping out to a 14-0 lead against Boise State.

But the Broncos (12-2, CFP No. 3 seed) have relished the role of underdog, going back to when their brand went national in the electrifying 2007 Fiesta Bowl.

The Broncos galloped back from the early hole, closing to 17-14 on Matt Lauter's 53-yard touchdown catch midway through the third quarter.

Penn State tripped up Boise State's latest comeback bid.

Allar threw his second touchdown pass to John Mackey Award winner Tyler Warren, and Nick Singleton burst up the middle for a 58-yard TD run, sending the Nittany Lions to the Jan. 9 Orange Bowl against No. 2 Georgia or No. 3 Notre Dame.

Penn State did it by controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball most of the night and shutting down Jeanty's running lanes. The AP first-team All-America selection finished with a season-low 104 yards on 30 carries, leaving him 27 short of Barry Sanders' single-season NCAA record.

Allar had been criticized all season, called dull and a game manager. He was sharp early, finding Warren in the back of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown, then Omari Evans in stride for a 38-yard score.

The Broncos pushed back by getting pressure on Allar and seemed to turn the momentum when they stripped Penn State's quarterback two plays after Jeanty lost his third fumble of the season.

Boise State then turned to Tyler Crowe, not Jeanty, and the fullback took several Nittany Lions with him for an 8-yard touchdown that cut Penn State's lead in half. The comeback seemed to still be in reach with Lauter's TD, but the Broncos fell apart after that.

Maddux Madsen threw three interceptions and Jonah Dalmas missed his second field goal, leaving the Broncos short of the CFP semifinals.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.