defense faces different challenge

[aubiefifty 17,488]

Auburn defense faces ‘different challenge’ presented by Penn State offense

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

5-6 minutes

---

Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford (14) hands off to wide receiver Jahan Dotson (5) against Ball State during an NCAA college football game in State College, Pa.,on Saturday, Sept.11, 2021. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)AP

Auburn’s defense has been on a tear to open the season, allowing just 10 total points and just 3.03 yards per play through the first two weeks. Confidence is high for Derek Mason’s unit, but now comes the real test.

After suffocating the offenses of Akron and Alabama State in short order, No. 22 Auburn’s defense is turning its attention to No. 10 Penn State — a team that has averaged 30 points per game through the first two weeks of the season and has some experienced playmakers on that side of the ball.

“Offensively, they can be explosive,” Auburn coach Bryan Harsin said. “And those are things we have to focus on this week and things that we’ve seen in the last couple games that they’ve been able to do.”

There are three players in particular that Harsin mentioned during his weekly press conference that are on Auburn’s radar ahead of Saturday’s showdown: quarterback Sean Clifford and wide receivers Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington.

Clifford, a redshirt senior with 22 starts under his belt, is the rudder steering the Nittany Lions’ offense. He is one of seven players in Penn State history with more than 5,000 career passing yards and 6,000 total yards on his resume, and he has gotten off to a strong start to his final season.

The former four-star prospect has completed 39-of-62 passes for 477 yards and a pair of touchdowns while guiding Penn State to a 2-0 start, with a season-opening win on the road against then-No. 18 Wisconsin and a home-opening thrashing of Ball State last weekend. Along with his passing numbers, Clifford has rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown this season, putting him over 800 rushing yards for his career.

“He’s a very experienced guy, being a redshirt senior,” Auburn linebacker Chandler Wooten said. “He’s been in a lot of big games; he’s played in a lot of big-time showdowns, so we know we’re getting an experienced quarterback. Obviously, he’s able to beat you with his feet and his arm, so he can make all the throws, and just having the extra dynamic of being able to run gives him a different challenge for the defense.”

Clifford’s skillset varies considerably from that of the quarterbacks Auburn has faced so far this season against Akron and Alabama State, and Wooten mentioned it’s evident the veteran has an impressive command of Penn State’s offense “with the way he reads a defense and makes checks.”

But Clifford isn’t alone in making Penn State’ offense run. He has a talented duo of wide receivers he has leaned on through the first two games this season in Doston, a third-team All-Big Ten selection last season, and Washington, who earned Freshman All-America honors from The Athletic last season. Dotson and Washington have each caught 10 passes so far this year and have been the focal points of the Nittany Lions’ passing attack.

Dotson has 10 receptions for 167 yards and a pair of touchdowns, averaging 16.7 yards per catch, while Washington has 10 for 104 yards through two games.

“Those two being dynamic playmakers on the outside and in the slot, it presents a challenge for our defense,” Wooten said. “They’re very explosive players; they play bigger than their size, and so they’re just great after the catch — able to make guys miss, going up over the top and make big plays. Definitely have to be ready for that.”

Penn State’s offense hasn’t been predicated on the vertical passing game, with the team averaging just 7.8 yards per pass attempt. Auburn linebacker Owen Pappoe said the Nittany Lions rely a lot on screens and quick passes out of various formations, but Penn State has been opportunistic with its big plays in the passing game.

In the opener against Wisconsin, Penn State broke a scoreless tie in the third quarter with a 49-yard bomb from Clifford to Dotson on the way to an 16-10 road win. Dotson’s second touchdown of the season came against Ball State, as the senior receiver weaved through defenders on a screen for a 25-yard score.

Auburn’s defense has been sharp this season, but the Tigers’ secondary has expressed a desire to improve its play moving forward. Now, Auburn will have its chance against a Penn State offense that presents a “unique challenge” for the Tigers, who to this point have boasted one of the nation’s best defenses, statistically, this season.

“We just have to keep a cap on that (in the secondary) and eliminate the explosive plays, but we know they’re going to go for the big plays,” Pappoe said. “So, yeah, we just have to do our best to stay on top of that.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.