Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (2) runs with the ball late in the second half against Oregon State in an NCAA college football game, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Steve Conner)

Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is as talented as it comes as a running back in college football.

In fact, depending on whom you ask, he had a good argument to win the Heisman Trophy but finished second to Colorado two-way player Travis Hunter.

“What he does is insane,” Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen said. “Nobody has ever seen it. He’s still the best player in college football, in my opinion and for a lot of people.”

In fact, Jeanty felt he should have “walked away with the award.”

Instead, his second-place finish of 2,017 points to Hunter’s 2,231 was the closest margin of victory since 2009.

You won’t get much of an argument from Penn State coach James Franklin.

“In any other year, I think he wins the Heisman, and you can make the argument that he should have won it this year,” Franklin said.

Jeanty certainly has a right to feel the way he does after a season where he rushed for 2,497 yards. He only needs 132 yards to break Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record, which was set in 1988.

Jeanty caught the eye of the Hall of Famer on X that there’s a possibility of his 36-year-old record being broken in the matter of a few days, and Sanders expressed his support.

“I think it’s pretty cool to have support from the person who has the record right now,” Jeanty said. “Obviously, he’s considered one of the best to ever play the position. I told him thank you for the support, and it’s just great to have the support of a legend.”

Jeanty admitted to knowing he needs 132 yards to break the record. However, that hallowed record is still secondary when it comes to Tuesday night’s Fiesta Bowl (7:30 p.m., ESPN).

“I want to break the record, but the main thing is winning against Penn State,” Jeanty said. “If we take care of what we need to take care of, that will come with it.”

One of the most impressive stats in a long line of great ones is Jeanty’s 1,882 yards after contact.

“He has more yards after contact than most of the elite backs in college football have in general,” Franklin said.

In order to break the record, he will have to do it against one of the best defensive fronts the Broncos have seen this year. Jeanty ran for 192 yards against Oregon, which also has a dominating front seven, but that was also very early in the season.

Jeanty, who is a projected first round draft pick at a position where prospects rarely go off the board on the first day, pointed out Abdul Carter and Kobe King as two members that stand out for the PSU defense.

“They all make each other look really good — the whole front seven,” Jeanty said. “We’re going to have our work cut out for us.”

The question on the Boise State side is how the team will respond to its long layoff.

Broncos coach Spencer Danielson pointed out the team has practiced an ample amount of time, but it will have been 25 days since its last game (Dec. 6 vs. UNLV).

“It’s been a blessing to have this much time off,” Jeanty said. “It will do us all well having this time off, but it’s been a little bit since we played football. I’m confident in our preparation and how we’ve been working.”

As for Boise State being 10.5-point underdogs to the Nittany Lions?

“It’s nothing new. Nobody had us picked to come to the playoffs,” Jeanty said. “They had us picked to win the conference like they do every year, but in terms of going against the elite teams, nobody ever has us picked to win. We’re out to prove everyone wrong. We still have that chip on our shoulder.”

What if Tuesday night would be the last game in a Boise State uniform for Jeanty? Ask former NFL coach Dirk Koetter, who now serves as the Boise State offensive coordinator.

“Ashton is going to do just fine for himself wherever he ends up,” Koetter said. “The running back is making a comeback. There’s teams running the ball well right now. Ashton is going to make some team very happy.”