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Live Blog: Penn State Earns White Out Win Over Auburn
The No. 10 Penn State football team will face No. 22 Auburn at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday in the White Out game at Beaver Stadium. Stick with us throughout the night for live updates.
FINAL – PENN STATE 28, AUBURN 20
Penalties hurt the Auburn offense on its next drive, with an illegal substitution and a false start leaving the Tigers at third and 17 moments after picking up a first down on a 16-yard pass from Bo Nix to tight end John Shenker. An incompletion forced an Auburn punt and after a 16-yard return by Jahan Dotson, Penn State took over on its own 29.
Penn State struggled all night in short yardage situations and it was no different with just over seven minutes remaining. On third and 1, the Nittany Lions tried motion handoff to Dotson, who was swallowed up for a 5-yard loss to the PSU 33. Auburn’s offense set up at its own 25 after a 42-yard punt by Jordan Stout.
Auburn quickly got into Penn State territory on a pair of Tank Bigsby runs and a Bo Nix scramble that was followed by a questionable late-hit penalty against linebacker Brandon Smith. Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. scooped up what at first appeared to be a fumble and returned it for a score, but replay showed the runner was down before the ball came out.
Running back Jarquez Hunter then high jumped a Penn State defender on a 24-yard run to the Penn State 10.
On fourth and goal from the 2, Nix tried a fade pass to Kobe Hudson, who was well covered by safety Jaquan Brisker, and the pass fell incomplete. Penn State took over on its own 2.
Backed up inside its own 1 after a false start and no gain on a Cain carry, Penn State got some breathing room with a pass-interference call against Auburn.
The Nittany Lions couldn’t make much else happen on offense but forced Auburn to burn its final timeout. Stout’s 49-yard punt put Auburn at its own 38 with 38 seconds left to play.
Defensive coordinator Brent Pry called up a blitz on first down and forced Nix to throw an incompletion. On third and 2, Nix found an open Kobe Hudson for a 13-yard gain to the Penn State 46. Auburn again converted on third down with a 14-yard pass to Malcolm Johnson to the Penn State 26.
Nix spiked the ball to stop the clock with three seconds left. His final pass toward the end zone was broken up by safety Jaquan Brisker and the Nittany Lions emerged with a 28-20 White Out victory.
Penn State is 3-0 and hosts Villanova at noon next Saturday.
10:48 FOURTH QUARTER – PENN STATE 28, AUBURN 20
Penn State started its next drive at its own 25 and a pair of 3-yard Noah Cain runs sandwiched an 8-yard completion from Sean Clifford to Jahan Dotson. Clifford then hit running back John Lovett who took the pass 18 yards to the Auburn 43.
Clifford once again found tight end Brenton Strange open down the middle for a 40 yard gain to the Auburn 3. A 2-yard pass to Parker Washington and a targeting call on the Tigers that resulted in the ejection of linebacker Zakoby McClain gave the Nittany Lions first and goal inside the 1.
Cain lost a yard on first down and a repeated attempt at a trick play with tight end Tyler Warren was unsuccessful this time around, with Auburn taking down Warren for a loss to the 4.
Finally, on third down, Cain was able to get it done. With the Auburn defense looking for a pass, the running back cut back and waltzed in for his first touchdown of the day. Penn State led 28-20 with 10:48 left in the game.
14:55 FOURTH QUARTER – PENN STATE 21, AUBURN 20
Auburn’s nine-play, 31-yard drive stalled at the Penn State 26 and the Tigers settled for a 43-yard field goal attempt. Anders Carlson’s kick was good to narrow Penn State’s lead to 21-20 with 14:55 remaining.
END OF THIRD QUARTER – PENN STATE 21, AUBURN 17
The Nittany Lions moved the ball 32 yards on six plays to the Auburn 43. On fourth and 1, defensive tackle PJ Mustipher got the call and a pile of Nittany Lions seemed to push him past the line to gain before the whistle blew. Officials spotted the ball a yard short and Auburn took over.
The Tigers moved the ball to the Penn State 26 on six carries before linebacker Ellis Brooks stuffed a third down run. Auburn faces fourth and 1 from the 26 as the fourth quarter begins.
5:52 THIRD QUARTER – PENN STATE 21, AUBURN 17
Auburn bounced back with a methodical 15-play, 75 yard drive that saw the Tigers winning the battle at the line of scrimmage and patiently grinding it out on the ground over the course of 7:14.
Running back Tank Bigsby drove the Tiger offense, carrying the ball eight times for 38 yards, including a 6-yard carry across the goal line. Anders Carlson’s extra point narrowed Penn State’s lead to 21-17 with 5:52 left in the third quarter.
13:06 THIRD QUARTER – PENN STATE 21, AUBURN 10
The second half got off to a wild start. On the first play of the third quarter, Auburn attempted some trickery with a reverse to wide receiver Kobe Hudson who was about to throw a pass when he dropped the ball. Penn State’s Derrick Tangelo recovered the ball on the Auburn 20.
Jahan Dotson pulled in a hard thrown 17-yard pass from Sean Clifford and Noah Cain rushed for 3 yards to the Auburn 2. Penn State then pulled off some trickery of its own, as tight end Tyler Warren took a direct snap and leapt over the goal line for the score. Penn State took a 21-10 lead with 13:06 left in the third quarter.
HALFTIME – PENN STATE 14, AUBURN 10
A defensive stop by the Nittany Lions put Penn State in position to score again before the half. Sean Clifford’s 20-yard scramble and a 12-yard completion to Parker Washington had the Nittany Lions moving. But Clifford heaved a pass toward the end zone that was picked off by Auburn’s Roger McCreary at the Tiger 3.
Auburn knelt to run out the final 16 seconds of the half. The TIgers get the ball to open the second half.
Penn State had 264 yards of offense to Auburn’s 158 in the first half. Time of possession was almost evenly split, with Auburn holding the ball for 15:09 and Penn State for 14:51
Clifford was 16-28 for 168 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the first half. His counterpart, Auburn’s Bo Nix, was 11-17 for 99 yards with no TDs or INTs, though PSU linebacker Brandon Smith dropped a sure interception late in the second quarter.
Noah Cain leads Penn State’s rushing attack with 37 yards on 10 carries. Auburn’s Tank Bigsby has eight carries for 41 yards and a TD.
Jahan Dotson leads all receivers with seven catches for 58 yards and a TD. He also threw one pass for 22 yards to Tyler Warren.
Neither QB has been sacked, although Nix was tackled for a loss on a keeper by PSU safety Jaquan Brisker.
1:23 SECOND QUARTER – PENN STATE 14, AUBURN 10
After Auburn’s touchdown, Penn State’s offense was met with some truly bizarre officiating. After picking up a first down on a pair of Noah Cain runs, Sean Clifford launched a deep ball that landed with no receivers in the area. Clifford faced no pressure on the throw and it appeared to be a miscommunication with a receiver, but he was flagged for intentional grounding.
Officials then moved the down marker to third down on the next play when it should have been second and the Nittany Lions ended up punting on what should have been third down. In the confusion, coach James Franklin’s protests came too late.
Auburn’s ensuing drive started on the 9 after a 58-yard Jordan Stout punt and stalled on the Tiger 45.
Penn State picked up a first down on a Cain rush, then Jahan Dotson made a spectacular leaping catch on a pass from Clifford to move the Nittany Lions to their own 45.
Dotson then took a backward pass from Clifford and tossed a dump pass of his own to tight end Tyler Warren for a 22-yard pass to the Auburn 30. Dotson and Parker Washington hauled in a pair of Clifford passes to get the Nittany Lions to the Tiger 15.
On third and 2 from the Auburn 5, Cain spun his way down to the 1. Cain was stuffed on the next play, but on second and goal, Clifford faked a hand off and tossed to a wide open Brenton Strange for a 2-yard touchdown pass. Stout’s point after was good and Penn State reclaimed the lead with the second quarter winding down.
Penn State 14, Auburn 10. 1:23 second quarter.
12:28 SECOND QUARTER – AUBURN 10, PENN STATE 7
Auburn answered Penn State’s score with a quick touchdown drive of its own. The Tigers converted on two third downs, including a 36-yard pass from Bo Nix to Kobe Hudson on third and 12. From there, running back Tank Bigsby bulled his way into the end zone on three carries to retake the Auburn lead, 10-7.
END OF FIRST QUARTER – PENN STATE 7, AUBURN 3
After Penn State and Auburn traded punts, the Nittany Lion offense exploded on its third drive of the game. Starting at the Penn State 12, running back Keyvone Lee bulled 10 yards for a first down. He nearly turned it over on his next carry, but recovered the fumble and picked up a 5-yard gain. An out pass to KeAndre Lambert Smith gave the Lions another first down, then the Penn State offense had the Tigers on their heels.
Sean Clifford found tight end Brenton Strange open across the middle for a 23-yard gain, then immediately hit tight end Theo Johnson down the seam for a 36-yard gain to the Auburn 4. The Nittany Lions capped the drive with Clifford throwing on the move to Jahan Dotson in the back of the end zone with 2:24 left in the first quarter. Jordan Stout’s extra point made it 7-3.
The first quarter ended with Auburn facing third and 2 on its own 43.
Penn State 7, Auburn 3. End of first quarter
9:37 FIRST QUARTER
Penn State picked up a pair of first downs with catches by KeAndre Lambert Smith and Jahan Dotson on the first drive of the game but stalled out at the Auburn 44 when a fourth and 1 quarterback sneak by Sean Clifford came up short.
Auburn took over and immediately picked up a big gain with an 18-yard run by Tank Bigsby. Aided by a pass interference call the Tigers got to the Nittany Lion 28 but, thanks in part to Penn State edge Jesse Luketa’s tackle for loss of QB Bo Nix, had to settle for a 45-yard field goal from Anders Carlson.
Auburn 3, Penn State 0. 9:37 left in the first quarter.
GAME INFO
Penn State (2-0) vs. Auburn (2-0)
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Television: ABC with Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe
Streaming: Watch ESPN
Radio: Penn State Sports Network / GoPSUsports.com
Weather: 80 and partly sunny at kickoff.
Spread: Penn State -5
Over/Under: 52.5
PREGAME
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