What did Boise State DC Erik Chinander say about Penn State ahead of the Fiesta Bowl?

Boise State defensive coordinator Erik Chinander was likely not prepared for the question that came his way late in a Friday afternoon news conference to preview the Fiesta Bowl. Despite that fact, he answered the query well and gave insight into how his Broncos are preparing to face Penn State.

The question was this: Do you like [the Penn State] offense? All the shifts and motions they do. Their D coordinator (Tom Allen)  said: I’m very impressed with Ashton [Jeanty]. I don’t like going against him, but I’m impressed.  Is it a fun offense, I guess, to look at?  

What was the answer?

“I mean, I don’t like what they do, for our sake,” Chinander said. “But no, I think it’s great. It causes a lot of stress on defense. It causes a lot of communication by your guys. Obviously, what they want is for us to sit in that room and look through all the stuff that you have to get adjusted to. It takes a lot of  time, from coaches, staff, players.  

“I think they do a great job with their offense. I think they do a great job of using the pieces they have  very, very appropriately and getting them in the best position they can to be successful.”

More: Penn State defense locks in on Heisman-worthy opponent

Chinander, who is in his first season as the defensive coordinator for the Mountain West champs, is tasked with stopping an Andy Kotelnicki offense that features lots of window dressing, heaps of toppings for an ice cream sundae, so to speak, and, of course, an arsenal of weapons that starts with All-American tight end Tyler Warren.

“Obviously, he’s an elite player. Won some awards, which he definitely deserves,” Chinander said. “Really good in the run game, makes some unbelievable catches, runs great routes. I think  he can do a lot. I mean, they put him as a wildcat quarterback. He can throw the ball, run the ball. Just  a really, really good player, and I think that he makes every part of their offense better.”

What else did Boise State DC Erik Chinander say about the Lions?

Read more quotes from the Boise State assistant below:

On why game planning to stop Tyler Warren is a challenge

“No, usually, especially in passing situations, you’re looking at how can you  eliminate a receiver from the game,” Chinander said. “It becomes more difficult when it’s a tight end because he’s in the  corps. He could be running the ball. You don’t have a corner, or potentially you don’t have a safety that  you can dedicate to him. It does cause some issues in the pass game, certainly. And then if you try to  go sellout overboard on the pass game on him, then it can hurt you in the run game. So, it causes  some definite issues.”

On PSU running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen

“I think maybe at the beginning of the year, they were used a little  differently,” Chinander said. “Later in the year, that’s one of the better running back tandems I have even seen in a long  time.  

“The thing that impresses me about both of them is how physical they run the football. They are hard to  tackle. Physical in the run game, physical in the pass pro. I just like the way they play football. They’re  a good one-two punch. I don’t think there’s one that’s better than the other. I think they’re just a lot to  handle.”

On the Penn State offensive line

“It’s a very big and athletic group,” Chinander said. “They can get running on their midzone. They  can really go. You guys have watched film. But you see defensive linemen a lot losing their gap integrity  almost double-hatted because it’s such an athletic group. They get talked about because it’s a big  group. But I think it’s very athletic for how big of people they have.  

“They’ll even put an offensive lineman out in the slot and motion him down and try to kick out a defensive  end or trap a tackle, which causes another layer of confusion in communication on our part. I think this  is a really good offensive line.  

“Like I said, you don’t get to this part of football unless you have a really good offensive line. Boise State  has got a really good offensive line. Penn State has a really good offensive line. But it takes that to get  to this point in the football season.”

On how former PSU assistant Stacy Collins, who is now BSU’s special teams coordinator, is helping the Broncos prepare

“I think Stacy has done a great job of giving us a preliminary scouting report on the roster,” Chinander said. “He wasn’t there with either one of these coordinators, but he gave us a  really good outlook on just the players. What do they do best? How have they been used in the past?  

“What kind of speed do they have? When you’re watching film, there’s a lot of speed every single game  they’re playing, but what kind of speed is there really out there? But he’s done a really good job of  giving us that scouting report on their roster.”

On Lions QB Drew Allar

“Drew Allar is a heck of a quarterback,” Chinander said. “I’m not an NFL GM, but I think he’s a first round pick. He’s much bigger than I think people believe when you’re watching TV. I don’t think you realize how big he is. He can make every throw, and then obviously they used another couple guys to wildcat run. But  he’s very efficient with his legs. Like, when the pocket breaks down, he’s going to be able to make a  first down. He’s going to make a lot of those plays. A lot of respect for him as a quarterback.”

“The other thing I think is very impressive about him, in my personal opinion, he makes some of his  best throws when he’s under duress, when he’s keeping the play alive, when he’s moving around in  the pocket. He’s made some really unbelievable throws on the move and under stress. That causes  an issue, too. We’ve got to do a great job of leveraging the pocket and plastering in the coverage.”