Beaver Stadium Emcee: BEAVER STADIUM I HAVE ONE QUESTION FOR YOU? ARE! YOU! READY! FOR! PENN! STATE! FOOTBALL!!! Narrator: Oh yes! We are ready for the return of the greatest tradition in all of College Football. THE PSU WHITEOUT! PAUSE.
Today on a Special Episode of THE PRIDE OF PENN STATE FOOTBALL! A solid team win over the best team in the MAC Conference leads the Nittany Lions into a familiar atmosphere coming. Sean Clifford said after the game that we need to improve the offense’s execution just a tad bit. He claims that if we can finish drives in key moments it will tell a lot about this team going. James Franklin, the energetic maniac of a coach, stated that the defense played well against a spread out offense in Ball State but there will be more emphasis on stopping the run. Especially against a Top 5 Running Back in the country next week it will be equally as daunting. With Ellis Brooks coming back from his 1 game suspension following that targeting shot against Wisconsin he is looking to put up a season that would make his mentor Micah Parsons proud.
Thus leads us to the talking heads of ESPN making their own headlines about who should be the next head coach at USC. Out of all of the candidates there was one that they highlighted the most. Coach Franklin, they claimed that he would be a perfect fit for a young team that lacked an identity. In reality the Mothership is putting this out there so that Penn State can come nowhere near their darling of a BIG10 team in Ohio State. (I feel like there are still some people that don’t want PSU to be good because of the Sandusky Scandal. THAT WAS 10 YEARS AGO!) Anyways, why would he leave a 107,000+ fan atmosphere that is soon beginning a massive renovation of Beaver Stadium for a half full LA Coliseum? It’s probably because of money but knowing his reputation there is no way he leaves this caliber of a football team.
Anyways the game this week is important for the entire Penn State University. Not only is this the 1st Whiteout game since 2019 they get to face a daunting opponent from the “BIG BAD SEC!” Auburn. Just like the Nittany Lions they are another team with massive amounts of doubters out there but led by Tank Bigsby they have perhaps one of the most feared running games in all of the country. Even if the Tigers are ranked below them this game is crucial for the football program. PSU has not won a game against an SEC team since the 2007 Alamo Bowl and Coach Franklin has been snakebitten against them. The main connection, Penn State in each of those losses over the years has been no match for other teams speed. The good news for WEARE Nation is that they brought out Saquan Barkley and Adam Taliaferro during the pregame introductions. Reliving legendary Penn State moments is always a great thing to witness.
The game itself began as a defensive struggle. Sean Clifford was stopped on a QB Sneak on 4th and 1 thus giving the Tigers the early momentum. However it would only lead to a field goal by Anders Carlson. Despite a slow start on offense the Nittany Lions came right back! Led by Clifford spreading the ball out throughout their 3rd drive, PSU marched down the field for a quick strike touchdown. However the roars from Beaver Stadium were short lived as Bo Nix and the Tank led Auburn right back down the field into the endzone for a 10-7. (Auburn fans were calling Nix a dark horse Heisman candidate) What nonsense is going to happen here. OK OFFICIALS THE GUY WAS CLEARLY SHORT OF THE 1ST DOWN AND IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN 2ND AND 1! YOU GUYS MADE PSU PUNT ON A 3RD DOWN BECAUSE THE LIONS COACHING STAFF THOUGHT CAIN WAS SHORT! CAN YOU STOP RIGGING GAMES FOR SEC TEAMS!? (This is an SEC officiating group so they want Penn State to lose) PAUSE. As the 1st Half came to a close the Penn State offense went right to trick play cheat sheet and used it to allow Jahan Dotson to showcase his true talent. (Heisman Candidate) At the end of the drive, the creativity of Offensive Coordinator Mike Yurcich culminated with a touchdown to Brenton Strange. Leading 14-10 at halftime there was hope for Penn State fans.
BOOM! That thinking would be taken to another level because of one Tiger mistake. “1st and 10 Auburn to start the 2nd Half, they run an end around to Kobe Hudson, Hudson is trying to throw the football, and he LOOSES IT AND PENN STATE RECOVERS!” That just sucked the air out of the Auburn sideline and now the Whiteout is rocking! (Zombie Nation playing, WE ARE PENN STATE!) They would be rocking even more thanks to Tyler Warren jumping over the top into the endzone on a Wildcat play for an 11 point lead. However the Tank wasn’t going to let his team quit. Led by key 3rd Down conversions the Tigers came back and cut the lead to 4. (Though their extra point play is kinda hard to figure out since you think they’re gonna fake it) As I say that Penn State led by Clifford and his consistently accurate passing get their way into Auburn territory. They are facing a 4th Down. “Oh they run a FAKE! IT’S GOING TO BE CLOSE BUT IT LOOKS LIKE PENN STATE GOT IT!” HOLD IT! “After review, the runner was short of the line to gain, (Crowd: BOOOOOO!) It will be 1st and 10 Auburn.” I like the aggressiveness from Franklin but he went for it a bit too much. It doesn’t matter in the long haul as the Tigers only got a field goal out of this. This was a crucial defensive stand as Penn State marched down the field thanks to a quick strike followed by a Noah Cain touchdown. (Party Time for the Student Section!)
The crowd was at a fever pitch with Sweet Caroline playing on the intercom after the TD and it appeared as if there was no hope left for the team from the SEC. (DRAMATIC MUSIC!) Luckily for Auburn there were SEC officials to try and bail them out. Thanks to late hits, and a defensive holding, the Tigers reached the 36. How will things get crazier? “Nix throws a WR screen to Jackson, and he is trying to get away. HE LOSES THE BALL! It’s picked up by Joey Porter Jr, THEY’LL NEVER CATCH HIM! PORTER, TOUCHDOWN! YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!” BEEP! “After review, the runner’s knee was down by contact before the ball came out.” (We almost got shades of Grant Haley against Ohio State in 2016 again) That is the right call and I won’t argue with them.
Shortly afterwards Auburn reaches the PSU 3. For 3 plays they couldn’t reach the endzone. Now on 4th down and up by 8 PSU has possibly 2 chances at stopping them. “Nix to throw, he throws a fade to the back corner and it’s INCOMPLETE NO FLAGS!” Auburn wanted a flag OH NO not that time. They had been getting bailed out by REFBALL all night and it couldn’t save them here. Even when they had the Nittany Lions pinned at their own 1 they got in their own way for mugging Jahan Dotson on a PI call that almost led Penn State to run out the clock. TAKE 2! THEY ARE DOWN TO THEIR FINAL PLAY AGAIN! STOP EM AGAIN! “Nix trying to throw one up, it will be short of the end zone and it’s Intercepted by Brisker! AND PENN STATE HAS KNOCKED OFF THE AUBURN TIGERS!” (Zombie Nation playing, WE ARE PENN STATE!) PSU STUDENT BODY ACTIVATED! Students: PSU IS GOING TO THE BIG10 CHAMPIONSHIP! PAUSE.
Narrator: Can we have a moment of silence for all of the people that said Auburn would not only destroy Penn State but also those who thought that Bo Nix is a dark horse Heisman candidate………………… Crowd: WE ARE? PENN STATE! WE ARE? PENN STATE! WE ARE? PENN STATE! THANK YOU! YOUR WELCOME!
Bragging Rights Sports 