Penn State football (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten) overcame a hostile SEC crowd to handily defeat Auburn (2-1) 41-12 on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The Nittany Lion defense forced four turnovers and six sacks. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz was unafraid to send extra defenders on the blitz and the front four consistently won their battles on the line of scrimmage. Most significantly, Penn State all but neutralized Auburn standout running back Tank Bigsby, who was only able to pick up 39 yards on the ground.
On the offensive front, the Nittany Lions had a dominant run game, racking up 245 yards on the ground with freshmen Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen leading the way.
Entering the game as three-point favorites, Penn State crushed expectations. The team will return to Happy Valley with its perfect record intact and a successful home-and-home series sweep against its SEC opponent.
How It Happened
With Nick Singleton taking first-team reps at running back, the Nittany Lion offense took the field first. Penn State moved the ball on its opening drive, but as quarterback Clifford appeared to pick up the first down near midfield on a third-and-long scramble, a big hit by Auburn’s Owen Pappoe popped the ball loose. It bounced out of bounds a yard short, setting up a fourth and 1 that the Nittany Lions failed to convert on a quarterback sneak, giving the Tigers the ball at the Penn State 47.
The Tigers responded with a quick drive to the red zone, but Penn State linebacker Curtis Jacobs came off the edge with a big sack on third and goal, holding Auburn to just a field goal attempt and an early 3-0 lead.
On the Nittany Lions’ ensuing drive, Kaytron Allen stepped in at running back and quickly found a hole for 16 yards. Clifford hooked up with Mitchell Tinsley for a 34-yard gain on a perfectly anticipated ball down the right sideline, putting Penn State inside the 10-yard line. A 7-yard quarterback draw from Clifford was enough to give Penn State its first lead of the day at 7-3.
Auburn responded with a drive deep into Penn State territory, but on a third down from the Nittany Lions’ 28-yard line, safety Jaylen Reed came blitzing off the weak edge and laid a huge hit on quarterback TJ Finley’s blind side. Finley was able to eke the ball out, but Zakee Wheatley stretched out to secure Penn State’s first interception of the season, ending the first quarter.
Penalties killed the Nittany Lions’ response, as Barney Amor punted it away with just over 12 minutes remaining in the first half. A long pass play and three runs were key components of Auburn’s push into Penn State territory. Another defensive stand saw the Tigers settle for another red zone field goal, cutting the Nittany Lions’ lead to 7-6.
Clifford hauled in his first career reception on a trick plan, when a double pass saw receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith find his quarterback for a 25-yard connection to the Auburn 10. Allen capitalized on the team’s momentum, scoring his first college touchdown on 3-yard run as Penn State opened up a 14-6 lead.
Auburn moved quickly on a two-minute drill, picking up first downs on two consecutive Finley throws. The drive would be stopped in its tracks, though, when freshman linebacker Abdul Carter forced a fumble and the Nittany Lions regained possession. A weak drive saw a punt back to Auburn, but Penn State’s defense brought heavy blitzes and consistently sent Finley to the ground. Chop Robinson recorded a strip sack to end the half, with Penn State up 14-6.
The Nittany Lions held Auburn to a quick three and out after Adisa Isaac recorded the defense’s third sack of the game to open the second half. On the following drive, Singleton dominated Auburn. Three plays saw three Singleton carries, resulting in 58 yards, a score and a 21-6 lead.
On Auburn’s next drive, A Ji’Ayir Brown strip sack and fumble recovery by Robinson gave the ball back to Penn State. The Nittany Lions took over on the Auburn 30 but had to settle for a 48-yard Jake Pinegar field goal.
Some efficient play from Auburn‘s offense had the Tigers in the red zone yet again with 4:14 left in the third. However, immediately following a huge sack by Carter, Brown picked the ball off for the team’s second interception of the day. Clifford then found Parker Washington for a 26-yard pass, which set up an eventual 6-yard touchdown run for Kaytron Allen, his second of the day. With just over a minute left in the third quarter, the Nittany Lions led 31-6.
Big plays from Auburn brought on an energetic six-play touchdown drive spanning the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth. Tiger quarterback Robby Ashford found Jarquez Hunter, who proceeded to beat a handful of Nittany Lion defenders en route to the end zone for a 22-yard score. The subsequent two-point conversion failed, so Penn State’s lead was only cut to 31-12.
An immediate Penn State response came in the form of a 54-yard Singleton rushing touchdown on the outside edge.
Penn State forced a three and out, in under a minute, bringing out freshman quarterback Drew Allar for his first snaps of the day. Allar went 2-for-2, but Devyn Ford dominated the drive with five rushes 33 yards. On a 4th-and-goal, James Franklin called a timeout, but ultimately opted for a 22-yard Pinegar field goal. Penn State led 41-12 with five and a half minutes remaining.
Christian Veilleux relieved Allar on Penn State’s next drive, as the team attempted to run out the clock. Auburn got the ball back with two minutes remaining in the game and a 43-yard pass gave the Tigers another red zone possession. The Nittany Lion defense, however, forced a turnover on downs and Veilleux kneeled to end the game.
Takeaways
Against arguably its toughest opponent so far this season, Penn State’s defense looked dominant. After a statistically quiet first two games, the Nittany Lions lived up to defensive coordinator Manny Diaz’s push for “chaos plays.” Penn State entered the day having recorded three sacks and one turnover in its previous two games. On Saturday, the defense forced four turnovers and picked up six sacks.
Freshman linebacker Abdul Carter and defensive end Chop Robinson exemplified strong games from their respective units. Carter’s sack and forced fumble don’t fully encompass his impact. He and the linebackers put heavy pressure on the quarterback and refused to be pushed by Auburn’s run game. Robinson also picked up a sack and forced fumble, but broke into the backfield far more. Against Purdue and Ohio, the defensive line combined for zero sacks. But against Auburn, the defensive line’s pressure was much more potent. Three of the team’s six sacks were credited to the front four.
Freshman running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen continued their exciting first seasons. After showing up against Ohio in a big way, the duo combined for 176 yards and four touchdowns. In particular, Singleton’s explosiveness was on full display when he simply outran the defense on multiple plays. Allen picked up his first and second career touchdowns as well, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. Sophomore Keyvone Lee did not get the start against Auburn and suffered an injury on his first carry. Although he eventually returned, Allen’s big game might not bode well for Lee’s spot on the depth chart.
Despite a game dominated by Penn State’s run, quarterback Sean Clifford quietly remained in his recently efficient form. Clifford seemed unfazed by incoming pressure. Oftentimes, he remained in the pocket and stepped up to find the right read. He exited the game in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach. Clifford’s final stat line was 14 completions on 19 attempts for 178 yards, as well as a touchdown run in the first quarter.
After facing its fair share of criticism over the first two games, Penn State’s offensive line entered a bounce back performance. The unit overcame a couple of early false start and holding penalties and successfully protected the Nittany Lion playmakers. They allowed zero sacks and were catalysts for the huge running game.
What’s Next
Penn State will host Central Michigan at Beaver Stadium on Saturday. The game is set for a noon kickoff and will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
