UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – With fellow linebackers Zakoby McClain and Owen Pappoe sidelined, senior captain Chandler Wooten delivered a career-high 10 tackles Saturday at Penn State.
"We missed those two guys being the big-time playmakers they are," Wooten said. "It's our job to step in. When your number is called, you've got to step up and make plays.
"We've all played some big-time football. Missing those guys definitely hurt but we had to step in and do our job."
With Auburn trailing 28-20 midway through the fourth quarter, Wooten stuffed Penn State receiver Jahan Dotson for a 5-yard loss on third-and-1 to force a three-and-out, giving Auburn's offense a chance for a potential game-tying drive.
"I felt confident in my preparation during the week," Wooten said.
Auburn held Penn State to 94 rushing yards on 33 attempts, an average of 2.8 yards per carry, but the Nittany Lions passed for 302 yards.
"We stopped the run pretty efficiently but it came down to those big, explosive plays," Wooten said. "Those we can't give up, especially on the road in a tough environment. We've got to clean it up. It's not on one person, one unit. We've all got to be better.
"We've got to get better in every phase. Offense, defense and special teams. We've got a group of fighters and guys who are hungry to improve. Everybody played extremely hard. That's the standard that has been set here at Auburn.
"We've got a long season ahead of us to do that. Get back to work tomorrow and continue to move forward. There's plenty of time ahead of us and we've just got to capitalize on every moment from here on out."Wrapped up: Chandler Wooten tackles PSU's Jahan Dotson on third down in the fourth quarter
TIGHT END TARGETS
Senior tight end John Samuel Shenker led Auburn with 62 receiving yards against the Nittany Lions, a career high.
Shenker and Demetris Robertson shared the team high in receptions with five, with three of Shenker's resulting in first downs.
"There's a fine line when you play teams like this on the road between winning and losing," said Shenker, who shares Auburn's season lead with 11 receptions. "Those little errors were the difference in 14 points. We know how good we can be. Tomorrow we'll get back to work, flush it, and move on to next week."
Career night: John Samuel Shenker amassed 62 yards on five receptions at Penn State
LESSONS LEARNED
Auburn returned to campus Sunday at 3:40 a.m. after flying back from Pennsylvania. A quick turnaround awaited coaches and players, who will practice Sunday afternoon to begin preparing for the next game.
"Everybody was locked in on the sideline," Auburn coach Bryan Harsin said. "There's plenty of work to do. This loss, it should burn.
"We gave ourselves an opportunity to go win the game. Those are games you want to win and we came here to win.
"You want to be a championship team, you've got to win on the road. Half your games are on the road. A lot of guys in that locker room are disappointed and we all should be.
"It's something you want to absorb and take in, and then you do everything in your power to figure out a way to not let that happen again. And that's everybody. That's got to be that fuel for the fire as you come back and go to work."
Auburn (2-1) returns to Jordan-Hare Stadium for Homecoming Saturday at 3 p.m. CT vs. Georgia State.
"We want to be consistent," Harsin said. "We want to be able to put ourselves in a position to win every game we play. It takes a tremendous amount of work and focus to do that."Hunter's hurdle: Jarquez Hunter goes airborne on a 24-yard run in the fourth quarter
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
