The Penn State-Auburn Report Card: Let's Overreact!
Penn State has you hooked now, right? After a comeback win at Purdue, a home-opening fun-fest and an SEC road rout, the Lions are 3-0 and gathering some steam for the Big Ten schedule.
The Lions looked crisp, fierce, and suffocating in a 41-12 victory at Auburn, handing the Tigers a withering home loss that could force change.
Meanwhile, Penn State heads home with two more weeks of extensive player rotations possible. The Lions host Central Michigan (1-2 with a win over Bucknell) and Northwestern (1-2 with a home loss to Southern Illinois) before getting a bye to prepare for their visit to Michigan.
Is it too soon to peg Penn State at 5-0 for that Oct. 15 visit to Ann Arbor?
In the meantime, let's fire up the grade generator.
Offense: A-
Freshmen Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen are fulfilling every prophecy Penn State coach James Franklin made before the season. Singleton (10 carries, 129 yards, two touchdowns) has five carries of 40+ yards the past two games. Penn State's running backs had one (1!) all last season.
Allen, meanwhile, is demonstrating a complementary ability to grind out tough yards even though he evidently has lost 10 pounds since August (he's gone from 211 to 201 since camp). They led Penn State to its best rushing performance (245 yards) since the 2020 season finale against a disinterested Illinois.
Quarterback Sean Clifford ran for a score, caught a pass on a nifty trick-play throwback and worked behind a terrific offensive line. That left side of tackle Olu Fashanu and Landon Tengwall is becoming his best friend. Save for some early red-zone inefficiency, the Lions were brilliant.
Defense: A
Coordinator Manny Diaz got production from his aggressive plan. The Lions made 11 tackles for loss, six sacks and nine quarterback hurries. They also forced four turnovers and held the Tigers to six red-zone points.
Penn State's defensive line passed its first substantial test drive, Ji'Ayir Brown's pick effectively ended the game and freshman linebacker Abdul Carter is a revelation. Auburn entered the game averaging 6.3 yards per game. Penn State held it to a 3.3 average and made Tank Bigsby (9 carries, 39 yards) mostly a non-factor.
Special Teams: B+
Good day for kicker Jake Pinegar, who made two field goals, including one from a season-long of 48 yards. Barney Amor averaged 43 yards on three punts and needed just one second-half attempt. Singleton returned a kickoff 30 yards and is going to break one soon.
Coaching: A-
We'll be petty and ding Franklin for that failed fourth-down decision early at midfield when he has such a good punter in Amor (not to mention the shots to the face his quarterback took on the prior play). Otherwise, the staff was on point. Franklin had the team ready for Jordan-Hare Stadium (save for a few false starts), game-planned around its top defensive players and handed Clifford a solid offensive strategy. This was Franklin's best game since 2019.
Overall: A-
Sure, Auburn might not be that good, and the team appeared withered in the fourth quarter. But credit Penn State for putting the Tigers in that position. The Lions overcame a critical early mistake (and nine penalties) to deliver a proper knockout. And they did so in an historically difficult place to play. This was the kind of game that gets teams noticed nationally.
Up Next
Penn State returns home Sept. 24 to host Central Michigan in its last nonconference game of the season. Kickoff is at noon on Big Ten Network.
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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.
