With chants of “S-E-C! S-E-C!” flooding Auburn’s side of the field, for once Wednesday the Tigers missed the point.
Try “Smash-mouth!”
“They beat us at our own game,” Penn State defensive end Michael Haynes said.
On a windy, sunny afternoon with so much attention trained on Penn State runner Larry Johnson–a finalist for the Heisman Trophy–Auburn’s tailback ran away as game MVP in the Tigers’ 13-9 victory in the Capital One Bowl.
Ronnie Brown, who spent the first half of this season behind Carnell Williams, punctuated it with the best bowl game by a running back in Tigers history.
Brown bruised Penn State for 184 yards on 37 carries, clinching the victory with a 17-yard touchdown sprint with 2 minutes 19 seconds left.
No. 19 Auburn won a defensive game over No. 10 Penn State, scoring the game’s only touchdowns in the second half. The Tigers (9-4) did so by swarming Johnson and placing their faith in Brown, who eclipsed Auburn’s postseason mark of 152 yards by Brent Fullwood in the 1987 Citrus Bowl.
“It has been a fun ride,” said Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, who gained his second nine-win season in eight years as a coach, this time after replacing both his offensive and defensive coordinators.
And Penn State (9-4), except for a defensive front that kept Auburn honest, sputtered at every other facet. The Tigers ganged up on Johnson, and the 2,000-yard man, slipping and sliding on a slick track, was held to 72 on 20 carries.
After the game Johnson criticized his team’s strategy in limiting his carries and “being too cute.”
Zack Mills polished off his first year as Penn State’s starting quarterback with a harsh echo for the off-season, an 8-of-24 passing performance for 67 yards. Neither he nor backup Michael Johnson produced a touchdown drive.
“We didn’t run the ball that well, didn’t throw the ball that well,” Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. “I was scared to death at halftime. I never had so many chances [to score in the first half], and we didn’t have any touchdowns.”
Strangely, despite a 6-0 deficit, Auburn filled the next-door locker room with confidence.
“At halftime we decided not to try to throw the ball,” Tuberville said. “We said, `We’re going to line up and run right at them and let the best man win.’ Ronnie did a great job for us.”
The Tigers took a 7-6 lead on Brown’s 1-yard dive in the third quarter, fell behind again when Robbie Gould kicked his third field goal for Penn State, then came back with Brown’s 17-yard touchdown run.
“I give them a lot of credit,” Penn State center Joe Iorio said. “They beat us fair and square, beat us like they were a Big Ten team. They ran right at us.”
