The awards continue to rack up for Penn State football’s win at Auburn.

Safety Ji’Ayir Brown earned Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts in the team’s 41-12 rout in Jordan-Hare Stadium. The award is Brown’s second from his performance in Alabama, after earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.

The redshirt senior recorded five total tackles on the road, as well as a sack for a five-yard loss. Brown also made a red zone interception in the third quarter to avoid a possible Tiger touchdown.

The New Jersey native currently leads the Nittany Lions in tackles with 15, five in each of Penn State’s matchups. He’s one of two defenders with interceptions this year; redshirt freshman Zakee Wheatley also recorded his interception against Auburn.

Brown and the Nittany Lions will try to stay undefeated in its matchup with Central Michigan at noon on Saturday, September 24 at Beaver Stadium.

About the Author

Joe Lister

Joe, shockingly, was Onward State's managing editor from 2024-25. It was an honor. He's off employed doing journalism things, hopefully. If you want to complain about anything he's ever written, you can find him on Twitter (iamjoelister), email (jlister2021@gmail.com), or Signal (iamjoelister.93).

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