Tiger Buzz: Auburn vs. Penn State TV info, key matchups

[aubiefifty 17,341]

Tiger Buzz: Auburn vs. Penn State TV info, key matchups and what to watch for

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

4-5 minutes

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Auburn SEC Insider: Penn State week, Tigers head to Happy Vally whiteout

No. 22 Auburn (2-0) vs. No. 10 Penn State (2-0)

When: 6:30 p.m. CT, Saturday

Where: Beaver Stadium, State College, Penn.

TV: ABC

Line: Penn State -7

This game will determine...

Just where Auburn is in Year 1 under Bryan Harsin. The Tigers manhandled their first two opponents of the season — Akron and Alabama State — but now they face their first true test of the Harsin era with a top-25 road matchup in one of the tougher environments in college football. If Auburn can win in Happy Valley against one of the current favorites in the Big Ten, Harsin’s program could be well ahead of schedule. Even if Auburn loses, we should know a lot more about this version of the Tigers, for better or worse by Sunday.

Three things to look for...

1. Can Bo Nix step up against a ranked team on the road? Auburn’s starting quarterback has been inconsistent, at best, during his career both on the road and against ranked opponents. His completion percentage is down in those situations compared to his career average, and he has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns in such games too. He’ll have a chance to flip the script against Penn State, and how he handles everything Saturday will be a likely barometer for Auburn’s chances of success in Happy Valley.

RELATED: The 5 things Bo Nix must be able to do for Auburn to win at Penn State

2. How Auburn’s secondary handles its toughest test yet. While Auburn’s defense has steamrolled inferior opponents through the first two weeks, members of its secondary have expressed a need to improve the play on the back end. They’ll get their chance Saturday against a Penn State team featuring a veteran quarterback in Sean Clifford and a pair of electric receivers in Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington.

3. Communication is key. Auburn heads into its first road game of the season prepared for a difficult environment, with Penn State holding its annual White Out game. It will be a raucous atmosphere and the first time Auburn has faced a packed house on the road since 2019 at eventual-national champion LSU, thanks to limited attendance last year due to the pandemic. Rowdy road environments won’t be new for many of Auburn’s players, but how the offense handles its communication in a frenzied Beaver Stadium will be crucial for the Tigers.

Key matchup

Auburn’s offensive line against Penn State’s front seven. Auburn has finally settled on a five-man group along the line, officially handing the starting jobs at left and right guard to Brandon Council and Keiondre Jones, respectively, after previously listing Alec Jackson (left guard) and Tashawn Manning (right guard) as co-starters in those spots for the first two games of the season. Now that the unit is settled in, it will have to go against a stingy Penn State front — led by defensive end Arnold Ebiketie — that is helping the Nittany Lions limit opponents to 11.5 points per game and just 3.98 yards per play (including just 2.96 yards per carry).

By the numbers

1931 — The last time Auburn played a true road game against a Big Ten team was 90 years ago at Wisconsin. The Tigers’ trip to Beaver Stadium will be just the third time the program has ever played on the road against a Big Ten school.

Key injuries

Auburn — DT Jeremiah Wright (ACL) out, CB Jaylin Simpson (lower body) probable, WR Ja’Varrius Johnson (undisclosed) probable, RB Shaun Shivers (undisclosed) questionable.

Penn State — DE Adisa Isaac (undisclosed) out, DE Hakeem Beamon (undisclosed) questionable, CB Keaton Ellis (undisclosed) questionable, OL Sal Wormley (undisclosed) questionable, RB John Lovett (undisclosed) questionable.

Penn State player to watch

Jahan Dotson. A third-team All-Big Ten selection last season, Dotson is a 5-foot-11 senior who leads Penn State in receiving this season. He has 10 receptions for 167 yards and has accounted for both of the Nittany Lions touchdowns through the air — a 49-yarder to get the scoring underway in Week 1 against then-No. 12 Wisconsin and a 25-yarder last weekend against Ball State.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

[lost 452]

Can’t stand alcommie.  Notice again the sickening bias 

1. Describing Bo- inconsistent at best, everything is down( negative reporting)while in reality everything is up this year

 

2. Describing  Clifford- veteran qb ,(  fails to show he threw more interceptions last year than Bo ) etc

 

on and on

 

i just despise them