AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) - Although the Tigers were looking for revenge for last year’s loss at Happy Valley, No. 22 Penn State controlled the pace and dominated the run game.
The Auburn Tigers were off to a fast start. Captain Owen Pappoe started the game by delivering a big hit to Penn State’s quarterback, which sent Jordan Hare into a frenzy. Hungry for another win, the Tigers’ defense came out swinging; however, the Nittany Lions slowed down the Tigers in the second half of the game.
Leading the defense, Pappoe ended the game with six tackles and four unassisted tackles, which junior linebacker Cam Riley matched. Senior edge Eku Leota led the team in unassisted tackles (5) as Pappoe, Riley, DJ James, and Colby Wooden followed close behind with four.
Due to Penn State’s aggressive defense, Auburn’s offense could never get into a rhythm. Even though the Tigers had 296 net passing yards compared to the Nittany Lion’s 232, Auburn’s offense could not capitalize on its plays due to their lack of discipline.
With the offense that Auburn generated, Shedrick Jackson and Ja’Varrius Johnson led the Tigers’ receivers. Jackson had a good night with four receptions racking up 76 yards. Following Jackson’s lead, Johnson was able to capitalize on his six receptions ending the game with a total of 73 yards.
Penn State did an excellent job at containing the Tigers’ star, Tank Bigsby, and Auburn’s quarterbacks.
Junior running back Tank Bigsby led Auburn’s rushing game with net yardage of 39. Bigsby also had a good night on the receiving end of the game as he racked up 38 yards. Freshman quarterback Robby Ashford and junior quarterback T.J. Finley followed behind Bigsby’s rushing game with 29 and 21 net yards.
However, both quarterbacks could not showcase their ability due to the pressure from Nittany Lions rushing the pocket and the multiple forced turnovers.
Ashford was able to generate some offense late in the 4th quarter. Sophomore running back Jarquez Hunter got the Auburn Tigers their first touchdown of the night at 14:27. However, this play proved futile because Penn State added another field goal making the final 41-12.
Although this game was full of missed chances, the Auburn Tigers will look for a crucial win against the Missouri Tigers next Saturday at 11 a.m. CT during homecoming week.
