Three minutes and five seconds were left in the second quarter when Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford waved his hand at KeAndre Lambert-Smith.

That signal brought the then-third-year receiver in motion, setting up a double pass that gained 25 yards.

Three plays later, Penn State scored a touchdown before halftime, putting the Nittany Lions up 14-6 en route to a 41-12 demolition of Auburn in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

It was a play that signaled a shift, both in the game and one could argue, in the future of Auburn football. Then head coach Bryan Harsin was fired later that season after starting the year 3-5, eventually leading to the hiring of current head coach Hugh Freeze.

Only Georgia beat Auburn by more points than Penn State did that season.

For Lambert-Smith, the memories from that day in September 2022 are a little fonder. The game was arguably his Penn State team’s most impressive regular season win in a season that saw the Nittany Lions win the Rose Bowl.

Even more than the game itself, Lambert-Smith remembers that it was hot outside.

Really hot.

“I’m like, ‘There’s no way I could ever play in some heat like this,’” Lambert-Smith told reporters on Aug. 22, recalling the game.

It’s safe to say he changed his mind.

Lambert-Smith entered the transfer portal on April 15, leaving Penn State after four seasons.

He committed to Auburn nine days later, moving across the country, across conferences and back to the intense southern heat he could hardly fathom returning to.

But why?

Penn State was coming off a 10-3 season and an appearance in the Peach Bowl. Auburn finished 6-7, stumbling into the Music City Bowl before losing to Maryland 31-13.

One half of the equation was Auburn’s offensive philosophy.

“Having the opportunity to come to a staff where they’ve got four guys on the staff where they take pride in throwing the ball and getting the receivers open and drawing up plays for the receivers — that kinda got my attention,” Lambert-Smith said.

The other half came off the field.

“Just the staff in general,” Lambert-Smith said. “How genuine Coach Davis made me feel. I met his wife and his kids.”

From the staff’s perspective, Lambert-Smith was one of the most important additions to Auburn’s retooled wide receiver room.

Blue-chip freshmen Cam Coleman, Perry Thompson, Malcolm Simmons and Bryce Cain caught most of the headlines. But Lambert-Smith, along with Georgia State transfer Robert Lewis, brought experience — an attribute that can’t be quantified by a star rating or recruiting ranking.

“It’s been fantastic to have him in the room. He’s another coach,” wide receivers coach Marcus Davis said of Lambert-Smith.

Lambert-Smith’s experience and attitude allowed him to quickly become a leader.

“One of the most impressive things about ‘Dre is his leadership and the way he’s bringing along and helping teach and coach and mentor the Cams and Perrys and Malcolms and Bryces. I didn’t know if that was the case when you get a transfer, but he has really been selfless in trying to help those guys,” Freeze said Monday.

Even Coleman, the second-highest ranked recruit in Auburn history benefitted from Lambert-Smith’s presence.

“I’ve learned a lot. I took some of his moves actually,” Coleman told reporters Aug. 15.

Lambert-Smith said he gives the most advice to Thompson. Both players play the Z-receiver position, meaning they’re often grouped together during practice.

“If he has a dropped pass or if he has a not-so-good day at practice and he’s feeling a little down, I just try to keep him staying positive,” Lambert-Smith said. “I told him, my first few years of college, I was going up against Joey Porter. I had days where I felt like I wasn’t even meant to be in college.

Thompson called Lambert-Smith’s presence “very helpful,” mentioning the small details he learned from players like him and Lewis who have vast experience in college football.

“I just take it and watch their tape and all that stuff, just to knick and knack little things for myself and just be better,” Thompson said.

Lambert-Smith doesn’t just bring experience either. Catching 53 passes for 673 yards and four touchdowns for Penn State last season, he’s an impact player that can make a difference on the field.

Auburn lacked impact players at wide receiver last season. The passing offense ranked last in the SEC in 2023 and starting quarterback Payton Thorne only cracked 200 passing yards twice all season.

In deciding to stick with Thorne as the starting quarterback in 2024, Auburn needed to improve the talent around him. Lambert-Smith didn’t arrive until the summer, but it didn’t take long for him to make an impression on Thorne.

“There’s no doubt that he feels really good about Dre. The workouts I see, I can see why,” Freeze said at SEC Media Days.

“He’s even better than I thought he was and I thought he was good when he got here,” Thorne added.

Thorne and Lambert-Smith weren’t completely new to each other when they became teammates this offseason. With Thorne spending his first three seasons of college football at Michigan State, the two faced off against each other three times, with Lambert-Smith holding a 2-1 edge over his quarterback.

“I remember those Michigan State matchups vividly. We chop it up about that a little bit,” Lambert-Smith said.

The pair’s relationship has grown since the summer, due in large part to player-organized throwing sessions with Thorne and the receivers.

That time spent together was crucial for the new group to build chemistry during the summer, and it didn’t stop once practices started.

“Whether it’s days after practice where we throw more routes, or it’s off days, where we’re even there but he calls us to come here 7 o’clock at night, and just hit the turf,” Lambert-Smith said. “Payton’s a smart guy; a real, cool, genuine guy. I like that about him a lot, and our relationship is going to continue to grow.”

Lambert-Smith dealt with an ankle injury for much of fall camp, but is now back to full strength. When healthy, he’s a staple of the first-team offense. When he couldn’t play he was still hard to avoid noticing.

Whether it was giving another player pointers after a rep or celebrating with a player after a big play, he was always involved, even if it wasn’t on the field.

“He pushes us everyday and he brings energy to the receiver group. We feed off that energy,” Coleman said.

Energy was a buzzword throughout fall camp for Auburn. From defensive players getting loafs for not celebrating to the term being brought up by almost every player and coach who spoke to reporters during fall camp, it’s fair to say energy is being emphasized in Freeze’s second season.

Lambert-Smith is who the Auburn receivers look to for energy.

“I’m a big juice guy, I’ve got a lot of energy — if I don’t have that same energy in the slightest, Perry will be asking me, ‘You good?’ And I don’t like it when a younger guy, a freshman, is asking me if I’m good,” Lambert-Smith said.

His energy has endeared him to his fellow receivers along with the rest of the team. It makes him easy to talk to, even about that hot day in September two seasons ago.

“I joke about it a little bit,” Lambert-Smith admitted. They ask me, ‘Did we play against you?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m 2-0 versus y’all.’ But we on the same chain now. I’m with the good guys now.”