Penn State’s youngsters key a defensive effort that overwhelms 1-dimensional Auburn

AUBURN, Ala. — Penn State’s young players may have been the difference in the Nittany Lions’ 41-12 trouncing of Auburn Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

And Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen were pretty good, too.

We kid, we kid.

Singleton and Allen, Penn State’s true freshman runners, tore up the Tigers’ front seven as the visitors rushed for 245 yards and five touchdowns. They had help from the Lions’ offensive line and tight ends at the line of scrimmage.

Singleton, who ran for 124 yards on 10 attempts, had two scores, including a 54-yard romp down the right side early in the fourth quarter.

Allen added 52 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries and veteran quarterback Sean Clifford scored Penn State’s first touchdown on a 7-yard run up the middle late in the first quarter.

And there are some other young Lions on the defensive side who are already difference-makers.

Chop Robinson, the Maryland transfer in his second year, produced a sack, a quarterback hit and a forced fumble. Chop also recovered a fumble.

True freshman linebacker Abdul Carter, wearing the famed No. 11 at PSU (see LaVar Arrington, Micah Parsons, NaVorro Bowman), arrived against Auburn. The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder gets to the ball in a hurry, and in a bad mood. He had a team-high six solo tackles and added a sack, a forced fumble and a pass defensed as No. 22 Penn State moved to 3-0.

Carter’s decision to wear No. 11 was likely a sign that major college stage was not going to be too big for him in Year 1.

“Well, I knew (Carter) kinda knew Micah (Parsons) before he came in here,” Robinson said afterward when asked about Carter and No. 11.

“And I knew Micah from back when I was in high school. I think they have a good relationship and I think Abdul is wearing it (No. 11) very well.”

“He flashes,” Penn State coach James Franklin said of Carter.

“He picks thing up very quickly and he’s very mature, aggressive.”

Second-year linebacker Kobe King was also part of the effort that limited Auburn’s terrific runners, Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter, to 55 total yards on a combined 14 carries. Bigsby had rumbled for 102 yards and two touchdowns against Penn State last season and Hunter added 63 yards on nine carries in that one.

Kobe King, a backup to Tyler Elsdon in the middle, had five tackles, four solos, on Saturday.

“I think our (defensive) depth was a thing that, really last year and this year, we were talking about who was going to be where, who was going to play what,” Kobe King said.

“And it was just a thing that everybody had to dial in on and have a chip on their shoulder.”

Kobe’s twin brother Kalen plays a key role in the Lions’ four-corner rotation. He had outstanding coverage on Auburn wideout Dazalin Worsham to nullify a deep pass attempt in the first half.

Penn State’s defensive coordinator Manny Diaz trusts his top four corners — King, Joey Porter Jr., Johnny Dixon and Daequan Hardy — so much that the Lions leaned into an exotic set (three linemen, one linebacker, seven defensive backs) frequently when the outcome was still in doubt.

The 3-1-7 look definitely hampered Auburn’s offense in obvious passing situations and was a reason the Tigers were held to two field goals on four red zone possessions. Auburn (2-1) had scored eight touchdowns in eight red zone possessions in its first two games.

“It came about when Manny (Diaz) came in,” Kobe King said of the Lions’ seven-DB set that also includes three safeties.

“We got going with the installs and it came down. I think it’s just a defense that nobody’s really seen a lot.”

Brown had one of the four turnovers forced by Penn State — a second-half interception. Second-year safety Zakee Wheatley intercepted a pass by Auburn quarterback T.J. Finley at the Penn State 23 late in the first quarter, a miscue that was forced by second-year safety Jaylen Reed’s hit on Finley. Penn State veteran linebacker Jonathan Sutherland also recovered a fumble.

Two fumbles recovered, two interceptions. And Finley and fellow quarterback Robby Ashford were sacked a combined six times.

“It’s so exciting, you know?” Brown said when asked about the Lions’ young defensive players.

“Because for young guys to come in and contribute to a team like this, there’s not too many programs that can mold young guys into … growing up faster than they should.

“These guys came in and they wanted to play.”

And these young Penn State players — Singleton and Allen, and a slew of defenders — give this team depth that could be, well, unrivaled during the Franklin era.