Penn State Football: keys to success against the Auburn Tigers

Penn State Football looks to pick up a key road win–not just for themselves, but for the entire Big Ten–as they head south to SEC country to take on the Auburn Tigers.

For them to come away from a tough environment with a win, they will need to play well in all aspects of the game, but some stick out more than others.

Here are the keys to success on both sides of the ball for Penn State Football this weekend against Auburn.

Key to success on offense – pass protection

In my Q&A with War Blogle, I was asked which matchup could determine the outcome of this game, and I answered with Penn State’s pass protection against Auburn’s pass rush.

If Sean Clifford is given ample time in a clean pocket, he’s more than capable of making the right reads and finding one of his talented wideouts, tight ends, or running backs out of the backfield.

However, if the Tigers are consistently disrupting him in the backfield, things could turn bad in a variety of ways.

First, Clifford could get hurt, and while Drew Allar looks the part and his upside is far beyond any other quarterback on the roster, he is still only an 18-year-old true freshman in a tough environment; so he could struggle.

Additionally, Clifford could begin rushing through his progressions and forcing passes where he shouldn’t, simply to get the ball out his hands and avoid being hit. Similarly, he would also be more likely to make throws without his feet set, which can lead to inaccurate throws and interceptions that can be big-time momentum-shifting plays.

A big reason why Penn State was able to come away with a win against Auburn last season was because the Tigers brought very little pressure and Sean Clifford had all the time in the world to throw the ball. I would not expect Auburn to make that same mistake again, so the Nittany Lions’ offensive line needs to be able to hold up against the rush.