Penn State-Auburn matchups: Who will have the edge at Jordan-Hare Stadium?

Penn State heads to Auburn this week. Both sides are undefeated. The Lions are looking to keep a strong September start rolling. The Tigers, on the other hand, are aiming for revenge after losing to this weekend’s visitors a year ago at Beaver Stadium.

“We think we should have won the football game, for sure,” tight end John Samuel Shenker said. “That’s left a sour taste in our mouth for a year now, so we’ve had this one circled for a while — the guys that were here last year seeing what happened and what we can do better to win this game this year when they come to our house.”

Each week, Blue White Illustrated breaks down the matchups to determine who has the edge on offense, defense and overall.

When Penn State has the ball

Through two games, Penn State has attempted 88 passes compared to 63 runs. The offense has been balanced. But, it has shaded some toward the pass. That’s probably a good thing when facing Auburn. New defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding has the fourth-worst passing defense in the SEC but the conference’s top-ranked rushing unit. It allows only 64 yards a game on the ground so far. Now, that was against Mercer and San Jose State. So, we do expect the Lions to have a bit more success on the ground. However, winning will likely come through the air. The Tigers’ secondary doesn’t have an interception yet and didn’t look great in a nail-biting win over SJSU.

This will be a good test for the Lions. Can the tight ends be exemplary as they were in last season’s matchup? What will Nick Singleton show against a stout rush defense? And, will the line provide enough time for Sean Clifford to find open receivers? We think all of those answers will be yes. Linebackers Cam Riley, Owen Pappoe, and Derick Hall are all terrific. But, we’ll side with the visitors here and predict that coordinator Mike Yurcich will have a strong plan to attack the Tigers’ weaknesses, and those are almost all in pass coverage.

EDGE: Penn State

When the Lions are on defense

Auburn is going to play two quarterbacks. TJ Finley is the passer of the pair. Robby Ashford is used more as a runner who can also throw at times. Penn State must be ready for both and will have to be on its toes when Ashford come in. He will use play action and read options to set up easy pass opportunities.

By and large, though, the Tigers are a running team. They have called almost double the number of rushes compared to passes through two games. That isn’t going to change this week, either. Penn State has faced two predominant passing offenses so far. Now, it must be up to the task of stopping Tank Bigsby, Jarquez Hunter, and Damari Alston. All three are extremely dangerous and can get a head of steam and pick up yards in bulk at any time.

“Obviously, this is the first test we’re going to get with a team that likes to [run the ball],” Penn State linebacker Curtis Jacobs said Tuesday. “I feel like this is the game you want to be a part of as a linebacker, being able to come downhill, strike, get those tackles.

“I mean, you didn’t come to Penn State to be a linebacker to watch somebody play seven-on-seven against you. So, it’s going to be a different type of attitude, a different type of energy, and I feel like me and my guys in the front seven, really the defense as a whole, we’re just ready for that challenge.”

We would have loved to see Penn State face some more rushing attacks before this game. There are questions about whether or not the linebackers are ready for what they’re going to deal with Saturday. Because of it, we’re giving the slightest of leans to Auburn. But, this could very easily become a contest where the hosts become one-dimensional and predictable, which would play right into Manny Diaz’s hands.

Final word

Penn State has the overall edge in our mind. Auburn has faced two far easier opponents than the Lions have. Yet, they haven’t looked great. There is the lookahead factor, of course. Perhaps the Tigers were gearing up so much for Week 3 that it caused them to be sluggish in Week 2. Either way, Penn State is already road tested this season and is a deserving favorite.