Auburn Football: Grading the Tigers 28-20 loss to Penn State

Linebackers: C+

The Auburn LBs had a rough day overall, starting with Owen Pappoe’s injury in the 2nd half and then Zakoby McClain being ejected after a controversial targeting call in the fourth quarter. Chandler Wooten played outstanding when he was thrust into the game with 10 tackles this weekend and was arguably the MVP of the defense down the stretch.

The execution in coverage for the LBs was abysmal at times, in which the LBs allowed 16 catches on 17 targets for 182 passing yards on Saturday night. Sean Clifford and this Penn State offense created mismatches across the board and the TEs took advantage of the poor coverage of this LB unit.

Defensive Backs: F

This defensive backs unit was absolutely atrocious on Saturday night and allowed Sean Clifford to complete almost 90% (28/32) of his passes this weekend. Clifford went 12/12 in the 2nd half and the Auburn secondary had no answer for this Nittany Lions’ passing attack. Roger McCreary was the only defensive back that looked remotely impressive with his 1 INT performance, but he also only allowed 28 yards on Saturday night.

Smoke Monday looked lost all night in coverage and had 2 costly coverage busts against Theo Johnson & Jahan Dotson, which led to Penn State taking the lead in the first quarter. Dotson picked this secondary apart for 10 catches on Saturday and had a catch on almost every single starter in Auburn football’s secondary this weekend. If the secondary does not show improvement moving forward it could signal a long 2021 season for the Tigers.

Special Teams: A

The special teams continued to be one of the strengths of this Auburn football team. Anders Carlson made both of his FG attempts, which were both 40+ yards, and is becoming almost automatic when he takes the field.

The punting game was solid as well, in which Oscar Chapman punted 4 times with a 48.5-yard average and pinned Penn State inside the 20-yard line twice. The special teams for Auburn football are not a concern and have been consistent for most of the season.