Sneak peek: Penn State
AUBURN | The Bryan Harsin era begins with a couple of warmup games before things get really serious with a trip to a Big Ten power. October includes a couple of key rivalry games and November concludes with the Iron Bowl at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Today, we continue an early look at Auburn’s 2021 schedule with a huge non-conference road test in the third game of the season.
WHO: Penn State (4-5 last season, 4-5 Big Ten)
WHEN: Sept. 18, 6:30 p.m. CT, ABC
WHERE: Beaver Stadium (110,889)
SERIES: Tied 1-1
WHAT’S NEW: PSU head coach James Franklin fired offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca after last season and hired Mike Yurcich from Texas. Yurcich was a big part of successful passing offenses at Oklahoma State and Ohio State before spending one season at Texas. The Longhorns were second to only Oklahoma in the Big 12 averaging 280.1 passing yards and 475.4 total yards per game.
WHO TO WATCH, OFFENSE: Wide receiver Jahan Dotson led PSU with 52 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns in nine games last season. The junior averaged 17.0 yards per catch. He also returned eight punts for 197 yards including a 81-yard touchdown against Michigan State.
WHO TO WATCH, DEFENSE: Safety Jaquan Brisker returns for his senior season after finishing third on the team with 57 tackles last season including a team-best 33 solo stops. Brisker added 3.0 tackles-for-loss, six pass breakups and one interception.
OUTLOOK: Penn State was ranked No. 8 to begin last season but started 0-5 before winning its last four games. The success of this year’s team could largely hinge on which version of Sean Clifford shows up. Last season, the team’s starting quarterback completed 60.1 percent of his passes with 16 touchdown and nine interceptions. He was benched in a loss to Nebraska after his fumble was returned 26 yards for a touchdown. As a sophomore in 2019, he completed 59 percent of his passes with 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions as PSU finished 11-2. The offense could be explosive with most of its skill players returning including running back Noah Cain, who missed most of last season with an injury. Also back are the starting center and both starting tackles.
The Nittany Lions return most of their linebackers and secondary but the defensive line has to be rebuilt. All Big Ten defensive tackle PJ Mustipher is the only returning starter upfront and leads the group. Temple transfer Arnold Ebiketie and Duke transfer Derrick Tangelo will play a big part as will JUCO signee Jordan van den Berg. Sophomore Brandon Smith looks like the next great PSU linebacker. While AU will open the season with two cupcakes, PSU opens at Wisconsin, which is ranked 13th by Athlon Sports and 14th by PFF.
MORE SNEAK PEEKS:
Sept. 4 AKRON
Sept. 11 ALABAMA STATE