What did Boise State OC Dirk Koetter say about Penn State before the Fiesta Bowl?

Boise State offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter have seen very of tape over one coaching career that has spanned college and the NFL and dates back to the 1980s. The first-year Broncos play-caller, who was the program’s head coach from 1998-2000, has had plenty of time to review Penn State film as the Mountain West Conference champions earned a first-round bye to the College Football Playoff and were vacant last week as the Nittany Lions beat SMU in a first-round matchup at Beaver Stadium. And not surprisingly, he’s impressed with what defensive coordinator Tom Allen brings to the Fiesta Bowl and nodded in the affirmative when asked if the Lions have an NFL-level defense.

“They should have NFL talent: That’s Penn State,” Koetter said. “I mean, they recruit at the highest level. And you know, they play in one of the best conferences. They recruit guys who think they have a future in the NFL. And it shows. They got them.

“They don’t let you score. I mean, they’re sixth in the nation in scoring. So top 10 in scoring (defense), fifth in fewest TDs, fourth in yards allowed, fifth in tackles for loss, third in rushing -TDs allowed, 12th in first downs a game and third in red zone touchdown percentage. I mean, they’re good, they’re not fake. It’s all on tape.”

Read on to see everything else Koetter said about Penn State.

About Penn State All-American defensive end Abdul Carter

“He’s really talented,” Koetter said. “I think most people had him as a top-five pick, and it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise. You can really see that he’s his linebacker training where he was already playing off the ball a year ago and now he plays on the ball, the guy can really cover the ground. He can he can turn the corner. And he’s not their only good rusher than one.”

What gave the Nittany Lions trouble in their two losses so far this season?

“They played really good teams,” Koetter said. “We all saw Oregon firsthand. And it was a close game. It went right down to the wire. I think Dillon Gabriel is probably the best quarterback in the country. I think he’s perfect for what Oregon does on offense. Oregon ran a lot of pace against them. Ran a lot of unbalanced sets where they had everyone on one side. I’m not necessarily saying that’s what gave them trouble. I’m just saying that’s what Oregon did, and Oregon does it to everybody. Oregon is one of those teams that can match Penn State’s speed, and Penn State has excellent speed. Oregon, as you know, has excellent speed.

“In the Ohio State game, Ohio State just played a really solid game and I think Ohio State matches them well physically. I’m talking about the part that I see, Ohio State’s offense versus Penn State’s defense. It was more of a power play, a little less a speed game. Ohio State did a decent job of running the ball. They did it when they needed to. Four minute offensive, for example, they did a good job of running it. But yeah, those are the two teams that beat them. They were close games and they were good teams that beat them.”

On the Nittany Lions’ defensive line

“Yeah, I’d say this is the best d-line,” Koetter said. “They’re right up there with Oregon. And it’s just been a long time since I studied Oregon. But they’re right there. First of all, I think they have four defensive ends. Penn State has four defensive ends that I think could start for almost every team, 11 (Abdul Carter, 33 (Dani Dennis-Sutton), 92 (Smith Vilbert) and 15 (Amin Vanover and they play them a lot. They play all four guys They like to play three at a time on pass downs.

“But 28 (Zane Durant), inside, man, I want to be that guy’s agent. Rebuilt high school running back. He plays defensive tackle for them. He’s got a crazy combination of speed and power, and I think that guy is very disruptive inside. So yeah, we know we have our hands full with that front and they’ve destroyed a lot of teams. It’s going to be a big key to the game if we can neutralize that front.”