This was big-boy football.
Auburn’s first visit to Beaver Stadium resulted in the sort of back-and-forth, big-swinging bout between two historical college football brutes that made you wonder what the hell it had taken so long to get these two teams together in the regular season. It was a game that came down to the final play but it felt like it would pretty much the whole night, didn’t it?
For all the spectacle the White Out games have delivered during the past two decades, the quality of football and the intrigue of the game script have only rarely matched the atmosphere. Both did on this night, even if the quality of the officiating left you pining for the orderly days of John O’Neill.
We learned a few things about the Nittany Lions during each of the first two weeks and a few more this week. Jahan Dotson applied a few more layers of cement to an already impressive legacy. Noah Cain was quietly brilliant. Joey Porter Jr. and Jaquan Brisker patrolled the secondary with the physicality of linebackers. Even the tight ends showed up! And Sean Clifford served up plenty of dimes and an extra helping of crow for his critics.
