Penn State outlasts Auburn 28-20 in 17th annual White Out game
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Under the bright lights at Beaver Stadium, the Penn State Nittany Lions defeated the Auburn Tigers 28-20 in the wild atmosphere of the White Out. In what was the first White Out with fans in attendance since 2019, 109,958 fans were in attendance for Saturday’s game which is the tenth-largest total in stadium history.
The Tigers opened up the game with momentum after stuffing Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford on a fourth-down quarterback sneak. Quarterback Bo Nix then followed up that defensive stand by leading the Tigers into Penn State territory where kicker Anders Carlson would make a 45-yard field goal for the first points of the night.
Jahan Dotson would score the first touchdown of the game as he got open in the back corner of the end zone. Clifford was rolling out of the pocket on the throw as the Nittany Lions found the endzone and took a 7-3 lead with just over two minutes in the first quarter.
As the first quarter turned into the second, the Tigers were able to retake the lead after a quick drive which ended in a touchdown from running back Tank Bigsby. The sophomore pounded in a 4-yard run to give the Tigers their first touchdown of the night.
The back and forth continued as with about three minutes remaining in the first half, Clifford led the offense down the field and capped off a long drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brenton Strange. Dotson played a big role in the drive and was even able to throw a pass on a trick play which ended in a 22-yard gain from Tyler Warren.
Auburn started out the second half with an instant turnover as receiver Kobe Hudson fumbled the ball on a trick play gone wrong leading to a Nittany Lions recovery. Sean Clifford and the rest of the Nittany Lions were able to capitalize on the turnover with a quick drive ending in a 2-yard rushing touchdown for Warren giving Penn State a 21-10 lead.
Tank Bigsby reintroduced himself to the Beaver Stadium crowd as he would score his second touchdown of the game with this one being from 6-yards out. The touchdown would be Bigsby’s fourth of the season in only three games.
The Tigers opened up the final quarter with a 43-yard field goal from Carlson, his second made field goal of the night. That drive came after a failed fourth down conversion from the Nittany Lions when defensive tackle PJ Mustipher came up just short on a fake-punt.
Noah Cain and the Nittany Lions responded right away as Cain pounded in a 3-yard touchdown run to finish off a 9-play drive for the Nittany Lions. That gave Penn State a 28-20 lead with just over ten minutes to go in the game.
The Penn State defense held strong on fourth-down at their own two-yard line to keep the lead after an incompletion from Nix and the score would hold the remainder of the game.
With the win, the Nittany Lions move up to 3-0 on the season with two of those wins coming against ranked opponents. Penn State is also 9-8 all-time during it’s White Out games.
The Nittany Lions will stay in Beaver Stadium next week to host the Villanova Wildcats at noon on Saturday.
Logan Bourandas is a third year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.
