Please count us out: Boise State unfazed by underdog status vs. Penn State football

Boise State may have earned an automatic bid to the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals, but the majority of the public is putting their faith in Penn State football to emerge from next week’s Fiesta Bowl victorious.

Penn State heads to Arizona off a resounding 38-10 first-round playoff victory over SMU. James Franklin and the Nittany Lions are a two-score favorite against the Broncos. DraftKings Sportsbook currently has the spread set at 11 points.

But no one in Boise is listening to the outside noise. Overlooked all season wrong, Broncos head coach Spencer Danielson recently spoke of how his program is bringing its “please count us out” mantra along for the trip to Glendale.

“That’s our mentality here,” Danielson said Monday. “Not just for this game, playing the Fiesta Bowl, but that’s what Boise State’s been built on. We got to earn our right through our prep to go play our best against one of the top football teams in the country.

“But I believe in our team, and that’s why we talk about, please count us out. People do, media or people: Count us out. Because I know how we’re going to work, and I know we’re going to work to play our absolute best on the 31st.

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“So, if nobody gives us a chance, if the point spread continues to grow, whatever. And I tell people to like, ‘Hey, use this as motivation.’ This team doesn’t need any more motivation. Like, we’ve been in playoff football since September, and it’s one week at a time, working to play our best, counting us out, or you can’t keep this up, or what’s going to happen. And our guys continue to work, continue to do what’s required of them, and continue to improve every every week.

© Brian Losness-Imagn Images

“So all the outside noise of people, count us out. Awesome. We’ve been with the outside noise of everybody saying how great we are, on either side. You got to blow out the outside noise. And I believe that, like, please count us out. And that’s what Boise State football has been built on, is people thinking we can’t do something, and we work our tails off to find a way to prove people wrong.

“I believe in our team. We use the phrase put the ball down. It doesn’t matter the stadium. Doesn’t matter what fans are there. On the 31st, put the ball down. We’re going to be ready.”

Penn State football and Boise State will face off in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on December 31 at 7:30 p.m.

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