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auburnwire.usatoday.com Three fun facts about Jarquez Hunter Zac Blackerby 2 minutes Auburn found a diamond in the rough. Jarquez Hunter was a late addition to Auburn football’s 2021 signing class. He has quickly become the star of the class as he has become a sparkplug for the Auburn offense. The Philadelphia, Mississippi native’s combination of speed and power is fun to watch and seemingly makes plays every time he gets the ball in his hands. The start of his career already has him in the record books and a place in Auburn football lore. Auburn fans may be talking about Hunter for a long time. Here are three fun facts about Hunter’s career numbers through three games on The Plains. John Reed-USA TODAY Sports This has been well documented but it’s worth leading off this list. His 94-yard run against Alabama State will probably have him in the record books for a while for the longest run in Auburn football history. The previous long was 92 yards by Ralph O’Gwynn vs. Loyola in 1936. It’s also worth noting that it’s the longest run in the nation this season by five yards. Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports The true freshman ranks 25th among Auburn freshman rushers for a season with 320 yards in just three games. John Reed-USA TODAY Sports In the season opener against Akron, Hunter rushed for 110 yards and a nine-yard touchdown. He was the first Auburn freshman to rush for 100 yards in a season opener since Onterio McCalebb (148 yds vs. Louisiana Tech in 2009). The last Auburn freshman to rush for 100 yards in a season opener before McCalebb? It was Bo Jackson vs. Wake Forest in 1982. McCalebb was also the last freshman to open the season with back-to-back 100-yard games at Auburn (148, La Tech and 114, Miss St) in 2009.

Kickoff time, television channel announced for Auburn-LSU Auburn and LSU will square off under the lights in Death Valley on Oct. 2. Auburn will travel to LSU for an 8 p.m. kickoff in Baton Rouge, La., for its SEC opener, the league announced Monday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN. Auburn won last year’s meeting between the two teams, 48-11, in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Tiger Stadium has been a different story for the team over the last two decades, however. Auburn has not won in Death Valley since the 1999 season, dropping 10 straight on the road in the series since that win. LSU leads the all-time series against Auburn, 31-23-1, and holds a 15-9-1 record when the game is played in Baton Rouge. Before the two teams meet Oct. 2, Auburn will first host Georgia State on the Plains this weekend (3 p.m. on SEC Network), while LSU will travel to Mississippi State for its SEC opener (11 a.m. on ESPN). Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

Auburn’s defense left searching for answers after issues against Penn State By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com 5-7 minutes Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford (14) scrambles away from Auburn defensive end Colby Wooden (25) during an NCAA college football game against Auburn in State College, Pa., on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)AP There were two major issues for Auburn defensively against Penn State — the Tigers couldn’t affect Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford in the pocket, nor could they slow him through the air. The results were disastrous for Auburn in its 28-20 loss in Happy Valley, as Clifford methodically picked the Tigers apart while guiding his team to another top-25 win. The veteran quarterback put together a career effort Saturday night, completing 28-of-32 passes for 280 yards and a pair of touchdowns, as the Tigers struggled to contain the Nittany Lions’ passing attack. “Obviously, we didn’t top the pass efficiently enough,” Auburn linebacker and team captain Chandler Wooten said. “…We just got to be better in coverage; that goes for safeties, corners, linebackers — everybody involved. It’s not on one person, one unit; we all got to be better.” Clifford completed a career-best 87.5 percent of his pass attempts against Auburn, which has had a difficult time keeping opponents’ completion rates low this season while adjusting to first-year defensive coordinator Derek Mason’s off-man and zone coverage schemes. Through three games, Auburn is allowing teams to complete 78.7 percent of their passes, which ranks last among FBS teams. The Tigers have allowed two of their first three opponents to complete at least 80 percent of their passes after not allowing a single team to accomplish that since Kentucky (82.8 percent) in 2010. Clifford became the latest to take advantage of Auburn’s pass defense, as he was surgical with the ball on Saturday night in Beaver Stadium. His lone mistake came late in the second quarter, when he was intercepted by Roger McCreary near the goal line. After that interception, Clifford responded by completing all 12 of his second-half pass attempts, totaling 112 yards after halftime. He also completed 12 of his previous 13 pass attempts prior to that interception, with both of his touchdown passes coming in that span. It wasn’t just that Clifford was efficient against Auburn; it’s that the Tigers also gave up seven chunk plays in the passing game. Clifford completed six passes of at least 15 yards, while wide receiver Jahan Dotson had a 22-yard completion on a trick play. That successful gadget play was a bow on top of a big day for Dotson, who gave the Tigers headaches as he caught 10 of his 12 targets for 78 yards and a touchdown. While Auburn’s secondary had its own issues in coverage, with Penn State receivers at times wide open downfield, the defense’s issues were compounded by an inability to generate a consistent pass rush. After totaling nine sacks through the first two games of the season, Auburn did not register a sack against Penn State, and the Tigers were only credited with one quarterback hurry — courtesy of Zakoby McClain on the play that resulted in McCreary’s second-quarter interception. “There was one he stood back there for what seemed like 10 seconds early in the game; I thought we had a better pass rush after that,” Auburn coach Bryan Harsin said. “But you’ve got to find ways to get after the quarterback, and you’ve got to find ways to get the ball out of his hands.” Even when Auburn was able to get into the backfield, Clifford found ways to extend some plays with his legs and buy time or make throws to the perimeter, which Harsin said goes back to coverage. “If you can get after the passer and create some of those lanes, then he’s got to work through it,” Harsin said. “He’s good and he’s mobile and he’s able to do those things, so I didn’t think that we would keep him in the pocket the entire time. But we’ve got to do a better job of that. If guys are scrambling, we’ve got to continue to keep covering our man and not getting a throw downfield — or at least make it a contested catch and try to get a hand on the ball.” That was missing Saturday, as Auburn did not record a pass breakup in the loss. The career 60.3 percent passer looked like a superstar against a flustered Auburn defense that fought all night to keep the team within striking distance. For all the issues Auburn had against the pass, the defense was sound against the run while limiting Penn State to 2.7 yards per carry and got enough stops to give the Tigers’ offense chances to try to mount a comeback down the stretch. Auburn got a stop on a fake punt in the third quarter, and then late in the game with the team trailing by eight, the defense forced a three-and-out and four-and-out on Penn State’s final two possessions. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough to overcome the issues with the pass defense throughout the night, which Mason and his defensive staff will have to address and make the requisite adjustments for as the team tries to bounce back from a gutting loss on the road. “We’ve got a group of fighters,” Wooten said. “Obviously, we didn’t get the outcome we wanted but everybody played extremely hard. That’s just the kind of standard that has been set here at Auburn before us. That is the standard. It stings right now, but it’s supposed to.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

What Bryan Harsin said after Auburn’s 28-20 loss to Penn State By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com 11-13 minutes The first loss of Bryan Harsin’s tenure as Auburn’s coach is one that he said “should burn” for he and his players. No. 22 Auburn fell to No. 10 Penn State, 28-20, on Saturday night in Beaver Stadium. The Tigers squandered some key opportunities and made a couple of costly mistakes against the Nittany Lions, and it resulted in a stinging road loss in a national spotlight. Harsin met with the media via Zoom after the game to discuss the loss. Here’s everything he had to say: BRYAN HARSIN, Auburn coach Opening statement… “There are things we have to fix moving forward. It’s always that -- it’s all about the work and the time spent preparing and getting yourself ready to play so you can go out there and just do, really, the basic things, consistently throughout the game. We will do that and get ourselves back tomorrow. But I felt like we put ourselves in a position to win, and we didn’t. So that hurts. It should. Now we have to take that and learn from it and apply the things we can control and do a much better job of and focus on -- and actually go and do those things as we move into this next week, starting with tomorrow. So, questions.” On the fourth-and-2 play call near the goal line late in the fourth quarter… “We talked about it; everybody kind of gives their input. Those plays are pre-planned and scripted in those areas, so, you know, those are things you work on. I have to go back and look at it -- exactly what happened. Obviously we didn’t execute it and it didn’t play out how we wanted. So those are things that you go through in the game plan. Believe it or not, we actually spend time on it, working through it and working through the different scenarios and getting to that moment. That’s the play selection that you had and that you choose, so. We went to that play and it didn’t hit like we wanted it to.” On the failed trick play to open the second half… “Well, we thought we had something throughout the week watching film that was going to be a good call for us. We came out of it, and part of that was it’s not there and, you know, you get what you can out of it -- and he fumbled. So that was one of the plays -- anytime there’s a turnover in the game, that becomes a major factor. For us, our goal is always plus-one, so we’ve got to figure out a way to get it back and create that on the defensive side if the offense gives it up. We were trying to be aggressive. I thought we didn’t see it was there, and we were trying to go do exactly what we talked about, and the ball got put on the ground; they recovered it and it became a big turnover at the start of the third quarter. So that did not get us out to the fast start we wanted coming out.” On Auburn’s pass rush… “There was one he stood back there for what seemed like 10 seconds early in the game; I thought we had a better pass rush after that. But you’ve got to find ways to get after the quarterback, and you’ve got to find ways to get the ball out of his hands. He escaped a couple times from what I remember and made some throws on the perimeter. That goes back to coverage, so we’ve got to be able to plaster long enough with guys out of the pocket. So ultimately, yeah, if you can get after the passer and create some of those lanes, then he’s got to work through it. He’s good and he’s mobile and he’s able to do those things, so I didn’t think that we would keep him in the pocket the entire time. But we’ve got to do a better job of that. If guys are scrambling, we’ve got to continue to keep covering our man and not getting a throw downfield -- or at least make it a contested catch and try to get a hand on the ball.” On Auburn’s passing offense… “Um, well, we had 185 yards. Yeah, not good enough. That’s really -- we needed to hit some, some explosive plays. We got opportunities to do that. We need to catch the ball, and we need to be in the right areas in the pass concepts. “That just goes back to those are things that we have to work on on this team, and those are things that have to be continually focused on. They’ve got to become priorities for everybody involved in order for us to go out there and execute those concepts that we have in there. “But ultimately, we’ve got to come down with the ball. We’ve got to make some plays. You know, there are opportunities to do that. You know, we needed to hit some of those. We’ll go back on Sunday and we’ll work on it when we get better at it. There will be other opportunities in games moving forward as well, but explosive plays become a difference in any game, not just this game. But, if you can hit some of those explosives in the pass game -- and we did. We hit a few of them. You know, we want to create more of those and give ourselves some opportunities to do that. We’ve just got to go finish on those plays, and with that we’ll continue to be a work in progress as we go through this season.” More on the fourth-and-goal call from the 2 late in the fourth quarter… “Well, it’s a little more calculated than that, but there are four options on it -- there’s really five. Kobe was one of them. “I just saw, you know, kind of the first of the play and the ball went up and [Kobe] was out of phase with where the throw was. But to answer your question, yes: there’s five possibilities on that play right there to give ourselves the best chance to get somebody in the end zone. I’ve got to go back -- before I make any comment on, you know, was that the right decision? I’ve got to go back and watch and see where the progression starts. “And that’s really the one thing with the quarterback position: sometimes those plays don’t work out, and the main question is, ‘Well, he made the wrong read.’ Not necessarily; sometimes either it’s a route, it’s the defense doing a good job in their coverage. And so, we’ll access that tonight as we watch the film on the plane. We’ll work at it and make corrections tomorrow. But ultimately, you know, you want to give yourself a better chance in that situation right there. I don’t know if that was a decision -- we’ve run that thing quite a few times and we’ve had some really good plays on it. So, I trust that what he saw out there, we’ll look at it, we’ll learn from it and we’ll go from there.” On how he used Auburn’s timeouts in the second half… “Which one in particular?” On the timeout before the fourth-and-goal play in the fourth quarter… “Yeah, well we did that to see what was happening on that play there, so that was going to be used in that situation there. And as the game went on, we would have to use them -- really with the two-minute mark, right? We did do a good job because I think we had maybe 40 seconds left. We got the ball back, so, where they were and what we had a chance to do, I thought we managed that to where we could get the ball back and have a chance to go down and score. “Now, we’ll review that as well and look at all those things, but sometimes you use timeouts because you may not be in the right position. You want to see something, and you want to make sure you have the right call on critical downs. Fourth down is one of those, and so, that’s why we used one of them early. And then the rest of them I think were in the two-minute situation to get the ball back, and then we were out of timeouts.” On what he learned about his team tonight… “Well, I think there’s a lot. I didn’t see anybody that was on the field — nobody quit. Alright, everybody was locked in on the sideline as far as running everything and make decisions and adjustments and those things. And that there’s plenty of work to do. That’s one thing. Just, this loss, it should burn. “We came here and played a really good Penn State team on the road, we gave ourselves an opportunity to go win the game, those are games that you want to win. Those are the games that we came here to win. We didn’t come here to just play and be in the game, we came here to win the game. That’s going to be the mindset with everybody around in this program — not just showing up and playing well, but finding a way to win. And, the goal is a big part of that, if you want to be a championship team you have to win on the road. Half the games are on the road. “Ultimately, from this point on, what do we do tomorrow? What’s the attitude, what’s the effort, what’s the focus that we’re going to get from this team? I think there’s a lot of guys in that locker room that are disappointed — and they all should be. I think it’s something that you want to absorb and take in and then you do everything in your power to not let that happen again. And, that’s everybody. Anytime — really, this should be every single week, in my opinion. Is you go back and look at it, you’re always trying to do everything you can to put yourself in the best position. Well, that starts on Sunday, and it goes all the way through Friday and Saturday’s game day. So, it doesn’t happen on just game day. You’ve got to put in the work, you’ve got to do it all the time. “You’ve gotta leave no stone unturned and prepare yourself in a way that you’re going there to win — not just be a part of it. I thought we had a lot of guys that prepared themselves to win. I think we’ve got to get better at that. I don’t think it’s okay to feel good about just getting there and playing and losing a game. I think there’s a lot of things that we can take away from it and learn that will be positives, but at that same time, it’s still gotta have that sting. And that’s gotta be that fuel for the fire that you come back and go to work — it’s gotta be that internally that you want to go out there and do a better job. That’s everybody. That’s not just our players, that’s everybody in this program. “Hopefully tomorrow we’ll be back out there, we all feel that way, we put in the work and then we learn from that. And then the reality of that is, you know, once you do that and once you learn that, that should become how we operate every day. Not just because we have to lose a game to figure that out. So, that’s what I saw tonight. Those are the things that we have to learn from this. That’s what Auburn football, in my opinion, should be about as we move forward. And everybody involved should feel that same way. So, those are the things that we’re going through. Those are the things that we want to create. Those are the things that we want to have in this program week in and week out. We want to be consistent. We want to put ourselves in a position in every game that we play to win. And it takes a tremendous amount of focus and work to do that. On the status of Owen Pappoe, who left the game in the second half and didn’t return… “I don’t (have an update). He didn’t go back in the game. He was out there, so I don’t have anything else to tell you that way. I’ll know more tonight and tomorrow. Owen’s a tough player, he’s a tough person, so I imagine we’ll figure out what that looks like and how we operate that going into next week.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

What they’re saying nationally, in Pennsylvania after Auburn lost to Penn State By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com 3 minutes Penn State tight end Brenton Strange (86) breaks away from the Auburn defense in the fourth quarter of their NCAA college football game in State College, Pa., on Saturday, Sept.18, 2021.Penn State defeated Auburn 28-20. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)AP Auburn went into Happy Valley looking for an early-season statement. The Tigers instead returned home with a stinging loss to Penn State, falling 28-20 in Beaver Stadium. It was a drama-filled affair between the two teams, with Auburn’s late comeback bid coming up short in Penn State’s annual White Out game. As one of the marquee matchups of Week 3 of the college football season, Saturday night’s showdown garnered a lot of attention. Here’s a look at what’s being said in Pennsylvania and nationally about Auburn’s loss to Penn State: -- Auburn should be disappointed, but not discouraged after loss to Penn State (The Athletic) -- Sean Clifford backs up his confidence against Auburn, and his play could take Penn State a long way (The Athletic) -- Auburn gave Penn State everything it could handle (Yahoo Sports) -- Penn State makes case as Big Ten’s top team with win against Auburn (Yahoo Sports) -- Nittany Lions show mettle in win against Tigers (CBS Sports) -- With two impressive wins against ranked teams, it’s time to consider Penn State a contender (CBS Sports) -- Penn State-Auburn was Exhibit A in the case for banning neutral-site nonconference games (Associated Press) -- Penn State holds on to white out Auburn (Associated Press) -- Through three games, James Franklin is delivering on a promised redemption tour (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) -- Penn State’s 2020 failures still motivating 2021 team, including against Auburn (StateCollege.com) -- As Penn State rolls under James Franklin, what if Penn State is already his USC? (StateCollege.com) -- Against Auburn, Penn State’s Jahan Dotson again proves he’s one of country’s top receivers (Centre Daily Times) -- Penn State’s offensive line shines against Auburn, which didn’t have a sack (Centre Daily Times) -- A quarter of the way through the season, Penn State has the best pair of wins in the country: Auburn and Wisconsin (247Sports) Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

Bo Nix’s familiar road struggles resurface in loss to Penn State By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com 5-7 minutes This was a chance for Bo Nix to flip the script. Instead, it was the rehashing of several familiar chapters in the Auburn starting quarterback’s rollercoaster career. Nix struggled in familiar fashion during No. 22 Auburn’s 28-20 loss to No. 10 Penn State on Saturday night in Happy Valley. The junior completed just 21-of-37 passes for 185 yards, as his night was defined by misfires, some dropped passes and a couple of narrowly-avoided backbreaking interceptions. “Not good enough,” Auburn coach Bryan Harsin said of the passing game. “That’s really -- we needed to hit some, some explosive plays. We got opportunities to do that. We need to catch the ball, and we need to be in the right areas in the pass concepts. That just goes back to those are things that we have to work on on this team, and those are things that have to be continually focused on. They’ve got to become priorities for everybody involved in order for us to go out there and execute those concepts that we have in there.” It was a familiar tune for Nix, who has largely struggled on the road and against ranked teams throughout his career. Entering Saturday’s showdown at Beaver Stadium, Nix had just a 54.5 percent completion rate, with more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (nine), and a yards-per-attempt averaged of 5.65 in nine true road games. Over the course of those nine games, Nix only had two quality outings — in wins against a 2-10 Arkansas in 2019 and Ole Miss last season. In 10 games against ranked opponents entering Saturday, Nix completed 54.1 percent of his passes for eight touchdowns, nine interceptions and 5.6 yards per pass attempt. Nix had a chance to counter those knocks against his resume against Penn State amid the hottest start to his career. Nix entered Beaver Stadium completing 74.4 percent of his passes and looking confident and comfortable in the Tigers’ new offense, a system designed in tandem by Harsin and first-year coordinator Mike Bobo. That blazing start to the season, which came against Akron and Alabama State, flickered out amid the 109,958 raucous fans, most clad in all-white for Penn State’s annual White Out game. Nix completed 11 of his first 15 pass attempts against the Nittany Lions, and he appeared sure of himself and the offense early on, as the Tigers staked an early lead in a hostile environment, even as he missed a couple of downfield shots to Shedrick Jackson. “There will be other opportunities in games moving forward as well, but explosive plays become a difference in any game, not just this game,” Harsin said. “But, if you can hit some of those explosives in the pass game -- and we did. We hit a few of them. You know, we want to create more of those and give ourselves some opportunities to do that. We’ve just got to go finish on those plays, and with that we’ll continue to be a work in progress as we go through this season.” Things began to unravel for Nix after the promising start. With time winding down in the first half, Nix nearly had an untimely and devastating interception. After Penn State went ahead, 14-10, Nix and Auburn tried to answer before halftime — as Harsin likes to try to take advantage of those end-of-half situations. On second down, Nix attempted to find John Samuel Shenker on the right side, but Penn State’s Brandon Smith broke up the attempt and nearly had a pick-six. He bobbled the ball multiple times, and it ultimately fell incomplete as Auburn dodged a bullet. Things didn’t get much better for Nix in the second half. He completed just 10-of-22 passes for 86 yards. The most unfortunate of those 12 incompletions came with 3:12 to play. The Tigers faced fourth-and-goal from the 2 and trailing by eight coming out of a timeout. Auburn ran an end-zone fade to Kobe Hudson, but the receiver never had a chance to get the ball, and the Tigers turned it over on downs. “Before I make any comment on, you know, was that the right decision? I’ve got to go back and watch and see where the progression starts,” Harsin said. “And that’s really the one thing with the quarterback position: Sometimes those plays don’t work out, and the main question is, ‘Well, he made the wrong read.’ Not necessarily; sometimes either it’s a route, it’s the defense doing a good job in their coverage. And so, we’ll assess that tonight as we watch the film on the plane. We’ll work at it and make corrections tomorrow. “But ultimately, you know, you want to give yourself a better chance in that situation right there. I don’t know if that was a decision -- we’ve run that thing quite a few times and we’ve had some really good plays on it. So, I trust that what he saw out there, we’ll look at it, we’ll learn from it and we’ll go from there.” Auburn had one last-ditch effort in the waning seconds, with 62 yards to go and needing a touchdown plus a two-point conversion. Nix drove Auburn to the Penn State 26, but on fourth down, he was nearly picked off again — this time by Jaquan Brisker, whose pass breakup quelled any remaining hopes of Nix writing a happy ending to this chapter of his career on the road. Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group.

Minimal pressure on Clifford in Penn State victory ByMark Murphy 3 minutes STATE COLLEGE, Pennsylvania–Coming into the game with nine sacks Auburn’s defense needed to continue the trend, but that didn’t happen as Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford was a key reason his Nittany Lions defeated Auburn 28-20 on Saturday night. At times it seemed Clifford had enough time to re-tie his shoes or do other maintenance while waiting for his receivers to find an opening. Clifford completed 28-32 passes for 280 of his football team’s 376 total yards and connected on two short touchdown passes. His only interception didn’t cost his team because it was a long pass picked off by the Tigers just before halftime. "There was one he stood back there for what seemed like 10 seconds early in the game," Coach Bryan Harsin said. "I thought we had a better pass rush after that, but you've got to find ways to get after the quarterback, and you've got to find ways to get the ball out of his hands. He escaped a couple times from what I remember and made some throws on the perimeter." Auburn’s defense made 67 tackles, with 11 1/2 behind the line of scrimmage, but none were sacks. Compounding the problem is the visitors from the Southeastern Conference were credited with just one quarterback pressure. That came from Zakoby McClain, which happened on the interception play by Roger McCreary. Unfortunately for the AU defense, McClain was ejected from the game on a targeting call with 12:21 left in the third quarter. With Auburn’s other starting linebacker, Owen Pappoe, out with an injury backup linebacker Chandler Wooten led the Tigers in tackles with six solo stops, four assists with 1 1/2 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Sean Clifford launches a pass before T.D. Moultry can affect the throw. (Photo: Jason Caldwell, Inside the Auburn Tigers, 247Sports) 18COMMENTS Another senior, safety Smoke Monday, added six solos and two stops for the visitors, who dropped to 2-1 on the season while Penn State improved to 3-0 in the first meeting between the two programs in 20 years to the delight of a crowd of 109,958 at Beaver Stadium. Another big problem for the Tigers, both defensively and offensively, was production or lack of it on first down plays. The Nittany Lions 7.3 averaged yards on first down plays, more than double Auburn’s 3.6 average. ">247Sports

saturdaydownsouth.com Bryan Harsin comments on Auburn’s 4th down play call SDS Staff | 9 hours ago 1 minute Late in the fourth quarter and losing 28-20, Auburn had a chance to at least tie Penn State near the goal line. The Tigers had a 4th-and-goal from the 2-yard line, and unfortunately, they didn’t convert. The play call, however, called for a low percentage fade by quarterback Bo Nix into the end zone: Naturally, Kirk Herbstreit and college football fans didn’t like Auburn’s play call in that situation, and why would they? It was puzzling at best. Auburn ended up losing 28-20, and head coach Bryan Harsin was asked about the play call following the game during his postgame press conference. “Those plays are pre-planned and scripted in those areas. Those are things that you work on. I have to go back and look at it, but obviously we didn’t execute it,” Harsin said, via AL.com’s Tom Green.

Instant Impressions: Penn State 28, Auburn 20 ByNathan King 6-7 minutes Auburn showed plenty of fight, but also missed on too many opportunities late to complete the comeback. After a number of impressive possessions on both sides of the ball to stay in the game the whole way, Auburn failed to convert a fourth-and-goal from 2 yards out late in the fourth quarter, as the Tigers fell 28-20 at Penn State on Saturday night in Happy Valley. Here are Auburn Undercover’s quick takeaways from the first loss of the Bryan Harsin era. AUBURN GETS ITS SHOT(S) With Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford sizzling all night — and Auburn having lost its two leaders at linebackers in Owen Pappoe and Zakoby McClain to an injury and a targeting call on the previous drive, respectively — the Tigers faced an uphill climb on a key defensive possession with 9 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Capped by a backfield stop by senior linebacker Chandler Wooten, however, Auburn got a huge three-and-out, stopping a third-and-2 to give its offense the ball back with 7 minutes left — trailing 28-20. With 75 yards to go, Auburn quickly got into Penn State territory following a couple Tank Bigsby runs and a late hit call on a Bo Nix scramble. But it appeared the Tigers got hit with disaster two plays later. Nix hit Shedrick Jackson on a quick screen, but Jackson fumbled, and Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. scooped it up and took it back for a touchdown, seemingly icing the game. Upon a quick review, however, it was obvious Jackson was down, and Auburn instead got a first down inside Penn State’s 35-yard line with 5 minutes left. Freshman running back Jarquez Hunter then gave Auburn a first-and-goal thanks to an eye-popping hurdle. Auburn got close with a flare out to tight end John Samuel Shenker, but he was just short, setting up a fourth-and-goal at the 2-yard line. But it all came to a screeching halt. Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo called an end-zone fade from 2 yards out, which came nowhere near being completed. Bigsby and Hunter had been running effectively up to that point, particularly in the second half, and averaged more than 5 yards per carry combined on the night. Auburn’s defense got a stop, though, using two timeouts to give Nix and the offense another chance with less than 40 seconds left. Nix hit on three quick throws to set up a final play from 26 yards out but couldn't get in the end zone on a throw to Demetris Robertson. Game over. NOT CONTAINING CLIFFORD Derek Mason’s defense got off on the right foot on the road, forcing a turnover on downs and a three-and-out on its first two series of the game. Once Clifford got clicking, however — primarily with his favorite target, Jahan Dotson — the Nittany Lions were much tougher to stop. Despite Auburn winning the field-position and time-of-possession battles in the first half, Clifford led Penn State on a pair of long drives — 88 and 91 yards. He missed on only two passes in the first half with two touchdowns, while Dotson was catching everything thrown his way — and he threw for a 26-yard gain on a double pass, too. Auburn responded to Penn State’s first touchdown drive with one of its own — 75 yards, capped off by Bigsby. And the Tigers even got helped by the officiating crew, which accidentally took a play away from Penn State after an intentional grounding call. The Nittany Lions punted a play later. But Auburn’s pass rush wasn’t able to get much pressure on Clifford bringing only three or four players, therefore the pass defense suffered, too. Clifford was accurate on shallow routes, as the Nittany Lions next drove 91 yards and retook the lead. Despite an apparent injury heading into halftime to his throwing arm, Clifford came out in the third quarter with the same sharpness. After his interception before the break, hauled in by Roger McCreary, Clifford hit on his next 10 throws for 112 yards, including a wide-open completion to tight end Brenton Strange for 40 yards to put Penn State in position to tack on another touchdown to go up 28-20 with 10 minutes left in the game. Clifford finished 28-of-32 for 280 yards, with the two touchdowns and one interception. TIGERS STAY IN IT AFTER BIG MISTAKE Auburn nearly made a huge mistake before the half, when Nix threw it right to Penn State cornerback Brandon Smith with less than a minute left. Smith bobbled the ball five or six times before dropping what surely would have been a pick-six. But Auburn’s defense bailed it out, as McCreary picked off Clifford on an overthrow to avoid any further damage before halftime. Out of the break, Harsin said he was confident in the adjustments and felt the Tigers were ready to drive down the field and score. Instead, Auburn handed Penn State points. On a trick play — an apparent wide-receiver pass — Kobe Hudson elected to tuck the ball and attempt to take off, but he dropped it, untouched, and gave PSU possession on Auburn’s first play from scrimmage in the second half. The Nittany Lions scored a touchdown to go up 21-10 five plays later. 28COMMENTS But Auburn stayed in it. Thanks to a 15-play drive, 12 of them on the ground, Auburn responded yet again with a touchdown. Bigsby had eight carries for 37 yards and a score on the drive that took more than 7 minutes off the clock. Then the Auburn defense got another fourth-down stop. Penn State tried a fake punt on fourth-and-short in Auburn territory, but the spot ruled the Lions short. Auburn added another Anders Carlson field goal to trim the lead to 21-20 at the start of the fourth quarter. ">247Sports

let me ask you this. bo keeps himself in the mid fifty qb ratings as a whole right? if he ups his game to the seventy something percent qb rating do we still lose the game? i believe if he ups his game we win and that is my personal opinion. i think playing two snowflakes might have hurt us and i believe we had a case of the big head and it bit us in the butt. now i will give huge props fro them for hanging in there. but make no mistake penn state said we are going to try and contain the running game and make bo beat us through the air. we are still learning new systems on both sides of the ball and i am not sure we have that down yet. the truth is they beat us. they played really hard and the stadium absolutely did their part. their qb made plays when he had to and their number five was a stud and he made plays when they needed them as well. it is not the end of the world and unlike past years i believe we learn from this and improve. tank or vh not getting to run the ball in on fourth and two is a worry. tank running off the field mad is not a good thing. if he does not handle that well how does if effect the locker room? if the team does not respect bo as a leader it is a problem. and i still believe we lost receivers who would have stayed another year because of this. i really wanted this game bad and it hurts but i do believe we keep getting better.

the knitting lions.............grins

they deserve this............in a loving way. get it? loving?

thirteen is my lucky number. it always has been. the 13th whiteout. is this a sign? we shall find out!

5 reasons why Auburn will beat Penn State Sam Dehring Fri, September 17, 2021, 3:11 PM Auburn heads to State College tomorrow to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions. This is a matchup that has been hyped up all week. Will Penn State defeat Auburn in an electric Beaver Stadium? Nonsense. Auburn is a team that not a lot of people take seriously. Here are the top five reasons why the Auburn Tigers will beat the Penn State Nittany Lions. Bo Nix Bo Nix is a top seven quarterback in passing efficiency through the first two games of this season. Despite the lack of competition, he comes in with tons of momentum leaning his way. Nix has had productive games against Power Five schools. This will be another one. He has even defeated Alabama in his first year with the Auburn Tigers. Penn State might not be Alabama, but they are competition that Nix is capable of staying consistent and leading Auburn to an upset over a top 10 team in the country. Auburn Tigers quarterback Bo Nix (10) throws the ball during warm ups at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021. Tank Bigsby When people think of the Auburn Tigers, the two players that come to mind are Bo Nix and perhaps one of the best running backs in college football right now in Tank Bigsby. Bigsby is off to a strong start through the first two weeks of the season. He is an absolute power back that is capable of changing the offense. Penn State’s defense well most certainly have their work cut out for them. Expect a big work load from Bigsby in tomorrow’s game. Auburn Tigers running back Tank Bigsby (4) runs the ball at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. Auburn Tigers leads Alabama State Hornets 20-0 at halftime. Auburn’s Passing Game Now, this will be a key component to watch in tomorrow’s game. Not only is it going to be important, but it also might be one of the most crucial factors in this game for Auburn. We know how strong of a secondary Penn State has. If guys like Demetris Robertson and Shedrick Johnson can be productive tomorrow in the passing game, that could be a huge momentum shift for the rest of the offense. Auburn Tigers wide receiver Demetris Robertson (0) runs the ball after a catch at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. Auburn Tigers leads Alabama State Hornets 20-0 at halftime. Auburn Secondary This could very well be a game where we see much more of the run from both teams. Penn State has a strong secondary that has been elite the first two weeks of the season. Auburn’s has been the same. They are not as strong as Penn State’s at all, but they are still capable of preventing the deep ball. Auburn safety Smoke Monday (21) celebrates after making a quick stop during Auburn football A-Day spring game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, April 17, 2021. Auburn Rushing Defense The Auburn Tigers have one of the best from defenses in college football right now. Through the first two weeks, we saw multiple running backs featured in Penn State’s backfield. However, not a single one is Tank Bigsby. They certainly have a talented room, but it will be tough to be consistently productive throughout the game. Will the Auburn Tigers pull off the upset in Happy Valley? If they can execute these five crucial factors efficiently, they will have a strong chance at winning this game. 1 1 Our goal is to create a safe and engaging place for users to connect over interests and passions. In order to improve our community experience, we are temporarily suspending article commenting. Penn State faces Auburn, looking for 7th straight win 1 / 2 Alabama St Auburn Football Auburn quarterback Bo Nix (10) carries the ball as Alabama State linebacker Jake Howard (46) pursues during the first half of an NCAA football game Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill) The Associated Press Thu, September 16, 2021, 12:10 PM No. 22 Auburn (2-0) at No. 10 Penn State (2-0), Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EDT (ABC). Line: Penn State by 5 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Series record: Tied 1-1. WHAT’S AT STAKE? Both teams will look for early bragging rights in the first game of a home-and-home matchup that also could serve as a resume builder for both squads. The Nittany Lions are playing for their seventh straight win while Auburn looks for its third straight in a rare visit to a Big Ten stadium. KEY MATCHUP Auburn’s running game vs. Penn State’s front seven. The Tigers have a pair of backs who have carved up their first two opponents and could be the key to quieting a raucous crowd. Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter have combined for 43 carries, 531 yards and four touchdowns. They’re running behind a physical offensive line anchored by four seniors. PLAYERS TO WATCH Auburn: QB Bo Nix. This could be the loudest venue the veteran QB has ever played in and he’ll be doing so against a defense that’s already intercepted four passes. Penn State’s secondary is loaded with handsy players so Nix’s accuracy will need to be on point. Penn State LB/DE Jesse Luketa: The linebacker-turned-defensive end has wowed coaches and teammates with his ability to effortlessly switch positions when needed to fortify Penn State’s front. His tackling skills will come in handy against Auburn’s multi-headed rushing attack. FACTS & FIGURES Auburn hasn’t played a road Big Ten game since 1931. … The only two meetings in the series have come in bowl games. Penn State won the 1996 Outback Bowl and Auburn won the Capital One Bowl in 2002. … Auburn’s 1,151 yards of total offense are the most in program history to start a season and its 122 points are the fourth-most in an opening two-game span. … Penn State is 23-23 against the SEC. Auburn is 12-10-2 against the Big Ten. … This will be Penn State’s 13th full-stadium whiteout — where fans are encouraged to wear all white. ___

it is in the all white thread fella's and i just missed it.

thanx aux!

i still miss when the whole team wore black cleats. and thank you 88!

we have changed the color of face masks this game to white. i just posted the twitter thread asking someone for a photo.

Auburn is embracing Penn State's whiteout game in more ways than one. The Tigers will be wearing alternate helmets Saturday night, with the only noticeable change being white facemasks — for the first time in program history — as opposed to their standard navy ones. The football team posted a video of the full uniforms for the Penn State game on Twitter. 14COMMENTS The last time Auburn altered its uniform in any way was also a helmet change in the 2019 Outback Bowl against Minnesota, when grey facemasks were used and Pat Sullivan's jersey No. 7 was put on the side of every helmet to honor the former Heisman winner after his passing.

i am pretty sure the fans were warned ..............lol

i am into fantasy and historical novels from the dark ages. i have yet to taste any real mead and alabama will not allow you to order any by mail. i also always wanted to try wild boar of pig. i have a hunter friend that has some but he says it has a dirt taste that you cannot get rid of completely. but i have wanted to try the two at the same time. outside of atlanta they have a renaissance fair and for their 'back then' food was a turkey leg. and never get their frozen banana dipped in melted chocolate because that stuff will give you gas from hell. i broke off from my group to hopefullyl let one go and i heard a "my word sir"! the queen and two hand maidens popped out of a venders booth and i bombed the hell out of them. i was so embarrassed. lol. funny story for the morning but i am interested in smoking whiskey.

i have never heard this. can you tell me how ya do it? i got a friend that drinks makers mark and he loves a roaring fire. he keeps some chips for his grill. i bet he would love this.

willies reserve vape cartridges for the win..................lol