Three games do not substantiate anything. Is your argument that the SEC is NOT the beat conference top to bottom year in and year out.
Auburn prediction
- Thread starter psuro
- Start date
Prediction - quality opponent, tough game.... but PSU is a different team @home in the Beav, especially in "Whiteout Games" (which by definition are evening Primetime Events). PSU has performed at their best @Home, in Whiteout Games, sooooo.... I think you have to like their chances here.
Auburn knows how to gameplan PSU from their experience against highly-ranked SEC teams - they will make PSU beat them through the air (i.e., they will stack the LOS and not let PSU establish a running game.... or be a run-first offense.... use run to set up play-action downfield passing game.... or however else you want to quantify it). Wisconsin did the same thing and MY made them pay in the 2nd Half. On the positive side, Auburn is probably going to bring a "run first" gameplan against PSU and against Wisconsin PSU's D was up to the task (IOW, PSU's D is a good match for what Auburn is probably going to try to do out of the gates).
All-in-all, I think you have to like PSU's chances in this game. Should be a good one.
Auburn knows how to gameplan PSU from their experience against highly-ranked SEC teams - they will make PSU beat them through the air (i.e., they will stack the LOS and not let PSU establish a running game.... or be a run-first offense.... use run to set up play-action downfield passing game.... or however else you want to quantify it). Wisconsin did the same thing and MY made them pay in the 2nd Half. On the positive side, Auburn is probably going to bring a "run first" gameplan against PSU and against Wisconsin PSU's D was up to the task (IOW, PSU's D is a good match for what Auburn is probably going to try to do out of the gates).
All-in-all, I think you have to like PSU's chances in this game. Should be a good one.
Opened at 7, bet down to 5, then back up to 6.
Shapes up as one of the best intersectional matchups of the season. I'm confident Penn State will win but don't have a warm enough feeling about the margin of victory to actually bet the game.
Tremendous uncertainty regarding this game.
First, what to make of Auburn? Obviously they are going to have some good athletes. I like their running backs. They'll be more used to playing in a crazy atmosphere than many teams. They have the third worst schedule (per Sagarin) of any FBS team.
Second, as to PSU, the oline play has been a little underwhelming, particularly the running game. Our receivers have been good, but honestly our downfield game still seems to rely on the jump ball. D looks really really solid.
The matchups have this weird quality to them. Auburn run strength v psu run defense, PSU pass offense v. Auburn pass defense (both strength v strength), and PSU run offense v Auburn run D (weak against weak), Auburn pass weakenss against PSU pass D (weakness v strength - maybe that's where psu wins?)
I'm gonna go with PSU by 4, with an over/under of 45.
First, what to make of Auburn? Obviously they are going to have some good athletes. I like their running backs. They'll be more used to playing in a crazy atmosphere than many teams. They have the third worst schedule (per Sagarin) of any FBS team.
Second, as to PSU, the oline play has been a little underwhelming, particularly the running game. Our receivers have been good, but honestly our downfield game still seems to rely on the jump ball. D looks really really solid.
The matchups have this weird quality to them. Auburn run strength v psu run defense, PSU pass offense v. Auburn pass defense (both strength v strength), and PSU run offense v Auburn run D (weak against weak), Auburn pass weakenss against PSU pass D (weakness v strength - maybe that's where psu wins?)
I'm gonna go with PSU by 4, with an over/under of 45.
I agree with everything except the jump ball comment. Dotson & Washington have both made big plays by running away from defenders. I don't recall seeing them going up high and winning many jump balls.
Not sure what games you watched, but when PSU burned Wisconsin repeatedly with deep-balls, it sure as hell wasn't with "Jump Balls". Your post lost a lot of credibility with me when I read that line about our Offense relying on "jump balls" bullshit.... utter nonsense.
Dotsons one handed jump ball against OSU last year was pretty sweet.
I always enjoy the southern speed argument, like us northerners have no idea how to run.
IMO, when presented the opportunity, Penn State has usually done well against SEC teams. When Penn State has lost, it usually wasn’t speed that did them in. Only Bama has eaten Penn State’s lunch, so to speak, in head to head overall.
Like many, I’m uncertain what to think here. When uncertainty rules I think defense is most important and I like Penn State’s D this year therefore I think Penn State will win - the performance of the O will determine the margin. I could buy anything from another 16-10 game to a 49-35 game.
IMO, when presented the opportunity, Penn State has usually done well against SEC teams. When Penn State has lost, it usually wasn’t speed that did them in. Only Bama has eaten Penn State’s lunch, so to speak, in head to head overall.
Like many, I’m uncertain what to think here. When uncertainty rules I think defense is most important and I like Penn State’s D this year therefore I think Penn State will win - the performance of the O will determine the margin. I could buy anything from another 16-10 game to a 49-35 game.
Fair comment. To be a little clearer, it's not so much our receivers running jump ball patterns, it's our quarterback throwing or underthrowing every deep ball as if he is trying to turn it into one.
Either way, if that continues, I suspect Auburn's secondary will handle it better than Wisconsin's.
Still haven't a clue what the poster is talking about - the d-backs were completely burned on both of #5's deep catches - when did Clifford attempt to "create" a jump ball on these plays??? Clifford overthrew Dotson on two other opportunities where Dotson was running by himself well-behind the Wisconsin defense -- have no idea what game this poster watched but it sure as hell wasn't the PSU-Wisconsin game!
I'm not trying to stir the pot, but when did we get so infatuated with "50/50 jump balls" as a fanbase? Has this been a big part of our offense in years past? Didn't we used to take offense to opponent fanbases calling Trace an average QB that just threw jump balls?
There were several balls where the receivers were running free, and then had to wait for it. Simple as that. Obviously he wasnt trying to "create" a jump ball for a guy running free, but that's what the result was on several occasions. And as to the receivers running free, let's face it some of those plays - not all of them mind you - were just busted/blown coverages. Our receivers are really really good, but not so good as to just run away from quality defenders 5-10 times per game.
Of course they are but, they've been cheating and exploiting players for decades. Auburn paid $200,000 to get Cam Newton from Florida and it got them a championship. The record of the conferences cheating is long and spread across the conference. They used to turn each other in for a competitive advantage. Once they figured out that if they stopped snitching on each other, they could all cheat and it would be better for the entire conference. It worked.
Well, you’re the quickest guy anyone knows, so maybe we do have a chance.
Well there you have it. I knew there had to be a reason they are the toughest conference.
I'll say 27 - 17 good guys. Probably a close one where we score late to cement the W. A lot depends on our start. Their D speed may cause us some early hiccups. Crowd should keep them in check for awhile. Looking forward to it.
Just worried about our Run game vs their Run Defense and our ability to pick up the blitz when we Pass.
Our Punt game will be very key and I have faith in us playing the field position game.
Little concerned with Nix's ability to run--optimistic that our Secondary will not provide such space for their receivers though as he has seen in previous opponents. If we can contain Nix when 3rd and long we should be ok..
Our Punt game will be very key and I have faith in us playing the field position game.
Little concerned with Nix's ability to run--optimistic that our Secondary will not provide such space for their receivers though as he has seen in previous opponents. If we can contain Nix when 3rd and long we should be ok..
Just worried about our Run game vs their Run Defense and our ability to pick up the blitz when we Pass.
You nailed it.....
You nailed it.....
Really miss Joe's screen pass
we were really good at running those and we called them at the best moments too!They will BLITZ the $#!! out of us cuz well we arent good at picking up those and we really dont have a good counter play at least that I have seen..I do think (really HOPE) we held some things back and will have a wrinkle or two this game.
Well, we will have a stadium full of people wearing white after Labor Day.....🤷🏽
If this OL doesn't get tough and we can pound the ball against them, we will loose. Throwing flat passes and throwing deep to Dotson will not get it done against Auburn. Look at what the DL and LB's of Wisky did to our running game. Sanborn lived in our backfield all game and never had an OL even bump into him!
Clifford had 66 of those yards including one for 44 yards. I think the concern is that Cain only averaged 3.5 yards per carry against a MAC opponent.
I don't know how much to be concerned. The running game certainly struggled against Wisconsin. We'll see what happens vs Auburn.
Got it, so Lee averaging 8.5 ypc and Ford averaging 5.3 ypc last Saturday doesn't count? Interesting. Lee and Ford together averaged 7.4 ypc gaining 100 yards on 14 carries, but again clearly their runs don't count when analyzing such things. Got it.
You haven't paid attention. I said that Lee's runs were the best takeaway from Saturday's game. But that doesn't mean we can repeat that against Auburn. We'll see.
If Clifford plays meaningful time and the Lions put up 42, I will be ecstatic. I just don't think that has any chance of happening. Hope I am wrong.
I don’t see auburn taking us to the shed with our defense. Conversely I don’t know if our offense can find 28+ points if we need it. I’ll assume our D shows up, the offense continues to avoid turnovers with excellent punting when needed, and we can actually run the clock out in the 4th quarter without giving auburn the last possession. PSU 20 - 17.
It will probably be a bit closer than that, but I think we win convincingly.
