How can Penn State prevent the upset?

[aubiefifty 17,470]

centredaily.com

 

How can Penn State football prevent the upset against Auburn? Here are Saturday’s 2 key matchups

Jon Sauber, Kyle J. Andrews

6-7 minutes

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'Talented club' Franklin says of upcoming opponent Auburn

 

Penn State football coach James Franklin talks about upcoming opponent Auburn during his weekly press conference.

 

Penn State football coach James Franklin talks about upcoming opponent Auburn during his weekly press conference. By Penn State Athletics

Penn State’s White Out is this weekend against the No. 20 Auburn Tigers. The Nittany Lions come into the game as the No. 10 team in the country, looking to build off wins over Wisconsin and Ball State.

Here are the two key matchups that will decide if Auburn can upset the Nittany Lions.

Jon Sauber: Auburn’s rushing attack vs. Penn State’s run defense

The running game Penn State is set to face off with this weekend is much closer to the one it played in Week 1 against Wisconsin than the one it played in Week 2 against Ball State. Auburn — like the Badgers — has a strong rushing attack and multiple runners who can carry the load if needed or break the big one for a score.

Sophomore Tank Bigsby and freshman Jarquez Hunter have been nothing short of dominant for the Tigers through two weeks, although it’s been against weak opponents in Akron and Alabama State. Regardless, the duo has combined for 41 carries for 498 yards and four touchdowns in the two games, proving to be unstoppable against weaker opponents. Both are capable of bursting through and breaking off big gains, but Penn State has seen that type of runner in Wisconsin’s Chez Mellusi.

The Nittany Lions were able to limit Mellusi to 3.9 yards per carry and a long of only 19 yards in the season opener, preventing him from breaking the game open.

They did that on the back of a talented defensive line and linebacker room that already caught the attention of Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin.

“I think Penn State’s front is very good,” Harsin said at his weekly press conference. “I think their front seven, they do a very good job. I think their linebackers are very good players. That’s a program that’s had historically very good linebackers in it. And their d-line plays hard. Schematically, they do things with them that creates a challenge. That’s going to be something for our offensive line. We know that, and we’ve got to go out there and we’ve got to be able to get that done from this week in practice.”

That front seven consists of a strong starting defensive line and an athletic linebacker group that has flown all over the field so far this season.

Defensive tackle PJ Mustipher leads the line with his ability to occupy space when necessary and shed offensive linemen when the time is right. He’s a strong athlete on the interior who could get upfield and his partners along the interior, whether it’s Derrick Tangelo, Dvon Ellies or another tackle, have all been a net positive this season.

Arnold Ebiketie and Nick Tarburton have both been formidable against the run at defensive end, with both crashing down to make plays and forcing runners back inside when they try to get the edge.

Ellis Brooks, Brandon Smith and Curtis Jacobs all have shown they can make tackles and shed blocks to prevent runners from getting to the second level, with Jacobs and Smith showing exceptional athleticism and the ability to blow up runs in the backfield.

All three will be important in the Nittany Lions’ quest to stop Bigsby and Hunter this weekend, and the second level in particular will need to prevent the Tigers’ duo from breaking big gains during Saturday’s game.

Kyle J. Andrews: Auburn’s untested rush defense versus Penn State’s running game

Auburn hasn’t faced strong opposition up until this point with Akron and Alabama State entering the confines of Jordan-Hare Stadium. That especially rings true for an Auburn defense, which hasn’t been battle-tested against the run or the pass this season, allowing just 10 points against the two programs. This is especially evident in the running game.

In the 60-10 blowout over Akron, Auburn allowed just 21 rushing yards on 35 carries for .6 yards per carry. The following game against Alabama State was nearly just as strong for Auburn’s run defense, allowing just 46 yards on 29 carries (1.59 yards per carry). Keep in mind that Auburn allowed 163.4 rushing yards per game last year and still has yet to face a Power 5 program this season.

By contrast, Penn State has rushed for 145 yards per game this season. The Nittany Lions rushed 58 times against Wisconsin for 174 yards and one touchdown and followed up with 26 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown against Ball State. It may be time for Penn State to come off of the snide against Auburn with their rushing attack.

Penn State has played Noah Cain, Keyvone Lee, Devyn Ford and Caziah Holmes at its running back positions and could be adding Jon Lovett soon to the mix. In a stacked backfield, Cain has 28 attempts for 117 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Lee has 11 rushes for 64 yards (5.8 yards per attempt). Ford has seven carries for 33 yards (4.7 yards per rush). That’s just the running backs. Quarterback Sean Clifford has 17 attempts for 71 yards and a touchdown this season, too.

With the amount of mobility that the Nittany Lion backfield provides, it could be tough sledding for an Auburn defense that enters a prime-time matchup in a hostile environment. Or Auburn can continue to stymie what has been an otherwise decent Penn State rushing attack.

This story was originally published September 15, 2021 1:49 PM.

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Penn State defensive end Arnold Ebiketie and linebacker Curtis Jacobs stop Ball State quarterback Drew Plitt during the game on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. Abby Drey adrey@centredaily.com

 

Jon Sauber earned his B.A. in digital and print journalism from Penn State and his M.A. in sports journalism from IUPUI. His previous stops include jobs at The Indianapolis Star, the NCAA, and Rivals.

[aubiefifty 17,470]

if i turn the game on and the field is really muddy i might not watch it. they have just wore us out in the mud before and i still have not forgotten.

[Mikey 16,779]

3 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

if i turn the game on and the field is really muddy i might not watch it. they have just wore us out in the mud before and i still have not forgotten.

I think Stephen Davis getting a concussion in the 1st half had more to do with that game than the mud. He was eating them alive before he had to leave the game.

[aubiefifty 17,470]

12 minutes ago, Mikey said:

I think Stephen Davis getting a concussion in the 1st half had more to do with that game than the mud. He was eating them alive before he had to leave the game.

my memory tells me i do not remember that. they just killed us to the point i think we gave up for the most part. it was embarrassing.

[kennypowers 1,431]

Watch the chop blocks.  When you can't compete physically, the chop blocks start to increase.  Penn State is already known for it.  Injury free is my biggest hope.

[aubiefifty 17,470]

18 minutes ago, kennypowers said:

Watch the chop blocks.  When you can't compete physically, the chop blocks start to increase.  Penn State is already known for it.  Injury free is my biggest hope.

i hope not! and i did not know that about them. my biggest worry is nix. other than oregon his away game record is not that great so i fully expect him to take that step forward. and i want him to prove it all nigh.

 

live from 78 this is my jam when i think about auburn and who is more blue collar thatn bruce from the seventies?

 

[USATiger 741]

48 minutes ago, Mikey said:

I think Stephen Davis getting a concussion in the 1st half had more to do with that game than the mud. He was eating them alive before he had to leave the game.

I respectfully disagree.  It had more to do with a concussed, possibly inebriated, Terry Bowden.  He, and the team, were on cruise control heading into that game, similar to what we've seen the past decade.  We never had a chance even with Davis.

[USATiger 741]

Besides the hype from us and the lion cub fans,  I believe this will be a helluva a battle and one that football fanatics, regardless of loyalty, will enjoy.  Watching Penn State against Wisky, their defense resembles ours in that they are physical, have great LB'ers and those dudes don't miss many tackles.   Wisky's 3.9 yards/carry isn't terrible in a grudge match with not a lot of scoring.   It's that Wisky rarely got any runs past 4 yards.  Even when it seemed the play was blocked well.  PSU's defenders are such good tacklers.   It will be tough, but Bigsby is just different when it comes to getting yard after contact, so I'm hoping for a handful of 15-20 yard runs to help Nix and the passing game out.   

In the end, it's going to come down to QB play and which one makes the fewest mistakes, and hits a few downfield'ers.   There won't be many opportunities in that department with either defense, got to connect when the opportunity is there.  My only worry about our defense is they are still learning the system, and have had some blown coverages so far.  Didn't hurt us, but in a game like this, may decide the winner.  PSU has been in that system for a while, and it shows on film.  They play fast and decisive.  Those guys know their assignments and reads.  

 

[SeabassPSU 56]

1 hour ago, kennypowers said:

Watch the chop blocks.  When you can't compete physically, the chop blocks start to increase.  Penn State is already known for it.  Injury free is my biggest hope.

Uh where have you heard or seen PSU is known for chop blocks?

[Cardin Drake 1,937]

7 minutes ago, SeabassPSU said:

Uh where have you heard or seen PSU is known for chop blocks?

It's just something Penn State is known for: