Penn State is off to an impressive and confidence-inspiring 3-0 start this season after a second win over a top 25 opponent. Penn State’s 28-20 victory over Auburn on Saturday night in whiteout conditions did a lot to continue reshaping the way people are looking at Penn State and their position in the Big Ten.
A win over Aubrun is a great way to not waste time diving into commentary about the officiating in the game, and it is always more enjoyable to focus on other takeaways from a game when your team does win. And there were plenty of thoughts to take from Penn State’s latest effort against Auburn.
For me, this starts with a look at the player I was most impressed with Saturday night.
Sean Clifford just played his best game in a Penn State uniform
It was far too easy to suggest the quarterbacks were going to be the difference in this matchup, and that was absolutely the case. Both Sean Clifford and Auburn’s Bo Nix are tough competitors that have been forced to shrug off some struggles throughout their collegiate careers. To his credit, Bo Nix played pretty well and didn’t put his Tigers in a terrible situation all game long (he did get away with a bad interception that was bobbled and dropped by Brandon Smith that could have really turned the game upside down for Auburn).
Win over Auburn saw Sean Clifford and Jahan Dotson move up the Penn State record books
But Clifford turned in one of the best overall performances of his career by completing 28 of 32 pass attempts with a couple of touchdowns (I am not even going to knock him for the interception he threw late in the first half since he was hit as he delivered the pass; the INT didn’t cost Penn State anything as Auburn just ran the clock and went to halftime after being pinned by their own end zone). Clifford was never rattled and proved why he is so confident this season. He’s a gamer. If Clifford keeps playing like this, Penn State is going to win a few more big games this season.
[lawrence-related id=7146,7156,7131,7099]
Winning the first quarter and winning the fourth quarter
There is something to be said about getting off to a good start and finishing on a strong note. Penn State did both against Auburn on Saturdya night. Penn State had a scoring edge at the end of the first quarter with a 7-3 lead going into the second quarter. The Nittany Lions also closed out the game with a 7-3 advantage in the fourth quarter. The difference in the game? Eight points.