Paul Finebaum, Greg McElroy throw shade at Penn State despite beating Auburn
Behind a raucous, whiteout environment Saturday, No. 10 Penn State sent a statement to the rest of the country with a 28-20 win over No. 22 Auburn, moving the Nittany Lions up to No. 6 on the latest AP poll and dropping the Tigers to No. 10. But not everyone came away so impressed.
ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum was among the many Penn State skeptics, as the longtime SEC radio host thinks the Nittany Lions showed very little to brag about Saturday.
“As good of a game as this was in terms of hype and build up, within the SEC, it wasn’t that big of a deal,” Finebaum said Monday on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. “It was a middle-of-the-pack SEC West game. I know that sounds like a shot at Penn State — I don’t mean it that way.
“But if Penn State is the best the Big Ten has to offer this year, they’re in for a terrible year.”
Penn State’s defense had some problems stopping Auburn’s rushing attack early on in the game, as Auburn’s Tank Bigsby turned 23 carries into 102 yards and two touchdowns. But Penn State’s defense did rise up and force the Tigers to turn the ball over on downs at Penn State’s two-yard line with 3:08 left in the game. Auburn got the ball back at its 38 with 38 seconds remaining and moved it to Penn State’s 26 in the final 10 seconds, but a pass into the end zone on the final play was broken up.
Fellow ESPN analyst Greg McElroy, a former quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide and co-host with former Auburn offensive lineman Cole Cubelic, agreed with Finebaum, suggesting that the Nittany Lions are hardly the No. 6 team that their ranking makes them out to be.
“I thought it was a pretty good performance [for Auburn], and it’s one that you can probably build on,” McElroy said. “Not that they’re going to do a whole lot in the SEC West this year. I still think that if Penn State played in the SEC West, they’d finish probably fourth.”
Penn State had trouble running the ball, finishing with just 94 yards, and its leading rusher, Noah Cain, had 19 carries for just 45 yards. But quarterback Sean Clifford was sharp, going 28-of-33 for 280 yards and two TDs. Standout wide receiver Jahan Dotson had a career-high 10 receptions for 78 yards and a score, and tight end Brenton Strange had four catches for 71 yards and a TD.
James Franklin commends Sean Clifford, PSU effort vs. Auburn
Head coach James Franklin was pleased with Penn State’s effort against Auburn and turned to his signature phrase on television after the game.
“We’re happy to be 1-0,” Franklin said to ESPN’s Holly Rowe after the game, making use of the coined phrase he later tweeted, “and to do it in front of our fans and our family and our friends. And it’s great to have football back in Happy Valley.”
Franklin after the game sang high praise for Penn State’s senior quarterback, Clifford, who closed out a signature victory for the Nittany Lions.
“I’m really happy for Sean,” Franklin said. “He’s taken a lot of criticism. Really happy for him, he battles his ass off. He’s tough as hell and he played great tonight. So, I’m really happy for him. Obviously, Jahan Dotson is one of the best receivers in the country.”
Penn State opened the season with a 16-10 road victory at Wisconsin, which was ranked No. 18 at the time. Franklin and the Nittany Lions followed up their Week 1 victory with a 44-13 thrashing of Ball State, and now, they have another signature win over an SEC program to add to their resume. The next time they get a ranked team almost certainly will be October 9 at Iowa in what now looms as one of the key games of the entire season.