No. 5 Penn State bottles up Jeanty, beats No. 8 Boise State 31-14 in Fiesta Bowl

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Penn State defenders clogged every hole, stretched out every outside run, closed with ferocity.

Everywhere that Ashton Jeanty turned, he ran into Nittany Lions. The Heisman Trophy runner-up still went over 100 yards, but he sure had to work for it.

Drew Allar threw three touchdown passes and No. 5 Penn State bottled up Jeanty for a 31-14 win over No. 8 Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday night, earning a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

“We knew who we were going against. We knew we had to have hats to the ball every single play because every play he could break one,” said Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley, who had an interception and recovered a fumble. “We did that the whole game.”

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, and they had an answer.

Boise State galloped back from the early deficit, trimming the margin to 17-14 early in the third quarter, momentum seemingly on its side.

And then Penn State turned the tide for good.

Allar threw his second touchdown pass of the night 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.

“We played a complete game,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “Our offense, defense and special teams, we played complementary football, did some special things.”

Penn State did it by controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball most of the night and hounding Jeanty at every turn.

The AP first-team All-America selection finished with a season-low 104 yards on 30 carries, just 3.5 yards per carry — half his season averaged. Jeanty finished 27 yards short of Barry Sanders’ single-season NCAA record set in 1988 at Oklahoma State.

“They have a great D-line, front seven,” Jeanty said. “It wasn't really extraordinary. The executed, they tackled and we didn't play our best.”

Penn State's defense was dominant most of the night, but its offense was just as good, particularly on the ground.

The Nittany Lions ran for 216 yards, including 134 by Kaytron Allen and 87 by Singleton. Allar was steady after facing criticism most of the season, throwing for 171 yards on 13-of-25 passing.

He was particularly 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 for a two-touchdown lead.

“Being 14-0, that isn't something anybody really wants to be in,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said.

The Broncos, as they always seem to, fought back to give themselves a chance.

Boise State got back in it by getting pressure on Allar, putting a halt to Penn State's marches down the field, and got a huge momentum boost when Allar fumbled two plays after Jeanty lost his third fumble of the season.

With Jeanty surrounded on nearly every play, Boise State turned to Tyler Crowe and the fullback took several Nittany Lions with him for an 8-yard touchdown run that cut Penn State’s lead in half. The comeback seemed to still be in reach with Matt Lauter's 53-yard TD catch in the third quarter, but the Broncos ran out of answers after that.

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

“A lot of people counted us out and we came up a couple plays short,” Danielson said.

Penn State will play No. 2 Georgia or No. 3 Notre Dame in the Jan. 9 Orange Bowl.

Boise State opens the 2025 season Aug. 30 at South Florida.

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Boise State fullback Tyler Crowe (33) celebrates his touchdown against Penn State during the first half of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football CFP quarterfinal game, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Penn State defensive end Amin Vanover (15) tackles Boise State running back Jambres Dubar (1) during the first half of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football CFP quarterfinal game, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar (15) throws against Boise State during the first half of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football CFP quarterfinal game, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Boise State defensive end Ahmed Hassanein (91) celebrates a defensive stop against Penn State during the first half of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football CFP quarterfinal game, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Boise State wide receiver Austin Bolt (81) can't make the catch as Penn State cornerback Jalen Kimber (3) defends during the first half of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football CFP quarterfinal game, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (2) runs as Penn State linebacker Kobe King (41) pursues during the first half of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football CFP quarterfinal game, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Penn State tight end Tyler Warren (44) is tackled by Boise State defensive end Max Stege (95) during the first half of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football CFP quarterfinal game, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A highly decorated Army soldier who fatally shot himself in a Tesla Cybertruck just before it blew up outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas left notes saying the New Year's Day explosion was a stunt to serve as a “wake up call” for the country’s ills, investigators said Friday.

Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old Green Beret from Colorado Springs, Colorado, also wrote in notes he left on his cellphone that he needed to “cleanse” his mind “of the brothers I’ve lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took.” Livelsberger served in the Army since 2006 and deployed twice to Afghanistan.

“This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake up call. Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives,” Livelsberger wrote in one letter found by authorities and released Friday.

The explosion caused minor injuries to seven people but virtually no damage to the Trump International Hotel. Authorities said that Livelsberger acted alone.

Livelsberger's letters covered a range of topics including political grievances, societal problems and both domestic and international issues, including the war in Ukraine. He said in one letter that the U.S. was “terminally ill and headed toward collapse.”

Tesla engineers, meanwhile, helped extract data from the Cybertruck for investigators, including Livelsberger’s path between charging stations from Colorado through New Mexico and Arizona and on to Las Vegas, according to Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren.

“We still have a large volume of data to go through,” Koren said Friday. “There’s thousands if not millions of videos and photos and documents and web history and all of those things that need to be analyzed.”

The new details came as investigators were still trying to determine whether Livelsberger sought to make a political point with the Tesla and the hotel bearing the president-elect’s name.

Livelsberger harbored no ill will toward President-elect Donald Trump, law enforcement officials said. In one of the notes he left, he said the country needed to “rally around” Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Musk has recently become a member of Trump’s inner circle. Neither Trump nor Musk was in Las Vegas on Wednesday, the day of the explosion. Both had attended Trump’s New Year’s Eve party at his South Florida estate.

“Although this incident is more public and more sensational than usual, it ultimately appears to be a tragic case of suicide involving a heavily decorated combat veteran who was struggling with PTSD and other issues,” Spencer Evans, the FBI special agent in charge in Las Vegas, said Friday.

Livelsberger died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Investigators have not yet explained how Livelsberger shot himself inside the Cybertruck while simultaneously igniting fireworks and camp fuel packed inside, causing the explosion.

Among the charred items found inside were a handgun at Livelsberger’s feet, another firearm, fireworks, a passport, a military ID, credit cards, an iPhone and a smartwatch. Authorities said both guns were purchased legally.

In recent years Livelsberger confided to Alicia Arritt, a former girlfriend who had served as an Army nurse, that he faced significant pain and exhaustion she attributed to traumatic brain injury.

He opened up to Arritt, 39, whom he met and began dating in Colorado in 2018, about exhaustion, pain that kept him up at night, and reliving violence from his deployment in Afghanistan, Arritt said.

“My life has been a personal hell for the last year,” he told Arritt in text messages during their early days of dating that she shared with The Associated Press.

The Green Berets are highly trained U.S. Army special forces who specialize in guerrilla warfare and unconventional fighting tactics. Livelsberger rose through the ranks and deployed twice to Afghanistan and served in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and Congo, according to the Army. He recently returned from an overseas assignment in Germany and was on approved leave when he died.

He was awarded five Bronze Stars, including one with a valor device for courage under fire, a combat infantry badge and an Army Commendation Medal with valor.

Authorities searched a townhouse in Livelsberger's hometown of Colorado Springs Thursday as part of the investigation. Neighbors said the man who lived there had a wife and a baby.

Across-the-street neighbor Cindy Helwig said she last saw him when he asked to borrow a tool to fix an SUV.

“He was a normal guy,” said Helwig.

The explosion came hours after 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar rammed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, killing at least 14 people before being shot to death by police. The FBI says they believe Jabbar acted alone and that it is being investigated as a terrorist attack.

Copp, Richer and Long reported from Washington. Contributing were Associated Press journalists Ken Ritter and Ty ONeil in Las Vegas; Colleen Slevin in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Mead Gruver in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren speaks during a press conference regarding developments of a New Year's Eve truck explosion Friday, Jan. 3, 2025 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren speaks during a press conference regarding developments of a New Year's Eve truck explosion Friday, Jan. 3, 2025 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill speaks during a press conference regarding developments of a New Year's Eve truck explosion Friday, Jan. 3, 2025 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Rio Yamat)

A car drives out of Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

Investigators search a townhouse in northeastern Colorado Springs, Colo., Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, as the investigation connected to the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside President-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel continues. (Parker Seibold /The Gazette via AP)

Investigators search the garbage outside of a townhouse in northeastern Colorado Springs, Colo., Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, as the investigation connected to the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside President-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel continues. (Parker Seibold /The Gazette via AP)

This undated photo, provided by the Las Vegas Police Department shows a passport belonging to Matthew Livelsberger, found inside a Tesla Cybertruck involved in an explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. (Las Vegas Police Department via AP)

A Tesla Cybertruck pulls into Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

This undated photo, provided by the Las Vegas Police Department shows items found inside a Tesla Cybertruck involved in an explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. (Las Vegas Police Department via AP)

This undated photo, provided by the Las Vegas Police Department shows a weapon found inside a Tesla Cybertruck involved in an explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. (Las Vegas Police Department via AP)

This undated photo, provided by the Las Vegas Police Department shows the Tesla Cybertruck involved in an explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. (Las Vegas Police Department via AP)

This undated photo, provided by the Las Vegas Police Department shows an ID belonging to Matthew Livelsberger, found inside a Tesla Cybertruck involved in an explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. (Las Vegas Police Department via AP)