Film Room: A closer look at Auburn's tough night vs. Penn State's passing game

The Nittany Lions had a career night through the air at the Tigers' expense in Happy Valley. What went wrong, and how can it be fixed?

(Todd Van Emst/Auburn Athletics)

The stat line was as frustrating to disappointed Auburn fans as it was bewildering to excited Penn State fans on Saturday night.

Sean Clifford went 28-32 for 280 yards against the Tigers. It was the senior’s career-high in completion percentage. It was his third-best mark in quarterback efficiency and his best against a ranked opponent.

For Auburn, it was the first time the program had allowed an opposing starting quarterback to complete 80% of his passes since a 37-34 win over Kentucky in 2010.

But Cam Newton is not standing on the sideline for the Tigers right now, so they’re going to need a super comeback in this category in order to be successful in 2021.

For this week’s Film Room, all of Penn State’s passing calls with Clifford were reviewed and charted. Let’s take a closer look at the three main areas of concern for the Tigers coming out of this unhappy evening through the air in Happy Valley.

(Note: This writer is by no means a football expert, espe…