Here are 5 takeaways from Penn State football’s 41-12 victory over Auburn
Penn State went into the belly of the beast of Jordan-Hare Stadium and defeated the Auburn Tigers 41-12 on Saturday.
The Nittany Lions had arguably their strongest performance of the season against a Southeastern Conference opponent. Penn State compiled 232 passing yards and 245 rushing yards during the game. The Nittany Lions held the Tigers to just 12 points during the game with the defense allowing 119 rushing yards and 296 passing yards for 415 total yards.
Here are five takeaways from Penn State’s victory over Auburn.
Controlled chaos
Penn State’s defense brought controlled chaos throughout the game. The Nittany Lions had six sacks, 11 tackles for loss, three pass breakups, 60 total tackles and nine quarterback hits. With every opportunity to bring the pressure, the Nittany Lions brought it with their defensive front. The sacks came from multiple fronts with senior safety Ji’Ayir Brown, freshman linebacker Abdul Carter, senior defensive end Adisa Isaac, junior linebacker Curtis Jacobs, freshman defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and sophomore defensive end Chop Robinson each having a sack.
Jake Pinegar continues to be strong
Pinegar entered the game with 9:27 left in the third quarter and knocked down a 48-yard field goal. He added a 22-yard field goal to give Penn State the 41-12 lead with 5:21 left in the game.
Nick Singleton came up big on the biggest stage (so far)
It seemed like every time that freshman running back Nick Singleton was in possession of the ball in the second half, a touchdown could come soon after. Singleton had two touchdowns — first a 1-yard touchdown rush at the 12:16 mark in the third quarter and his second on a 54-yard burst to the end zone with 12:03 left in fourth quarter.
The key for the Class of 2022 running back was his 12.4 yards per carry. He had just 10 carries and had 124 yards to cap off his day. Not too shabby for the 5-star freshman.
Sean Clifford didn’t need to be Superman and that’s great
Far too many times throughout redshirt senior quarterback Sean Clifford’s tenure at Penn State he’s been relied on to bail out the team’s pedestrian running game. The pressure seemed to be too much for him and the offensive line at times, causing sacks allowed or Clifford to find a defender to walk into.
Saturday’s game at Auburn was totally different. Clifford looked calm, poised and like he had a plan. Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich only called on the 24-year old quarterback to throw 19 times and Clifford completed 14 passes for 178 yards and held a rating of 152.4. He additionally had six carries for 15 yards and a touchdown rush.
Turnover hammer?
Manny Diaz created the Turnover Chain while at Miami and it became a craze across the country with other teams attempting to replicate it. With Diaz’s departure from Miami and entrance to Penn State, the Turnover Chain was retired. While it’s not Penn State’s modus operandi to be flashy, they do have a sledgehammer to give to the player with the biggest hit a week before.
Penn State had three forced fumbles and two interceptions against Auburn on Saturday. It’s time to convert the sledgehammer into a turnover hammer. Maybe the Nittany Lions’ brass could get creative and create a hammer similar to Thor’s for the fun of it.
