AUBURN, Ala. – If there was ever going to be a barometer to measure how good this 2021 Auburn team is, it's going to come Saturday night at Penn State.
Next Game:
Penn State
Sept. 18, 2021
6:30 p.m. CT
TV: ABC
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
Auburn has dominated in each of its first two games, putting up 60 points in wins over both Akron and Alabama State. But the level of competition will be much greater against a top-10 Penn State team, and the Tigers will not have the Jordan-Hare crowd on their side. Instead, they will be met with a hostile environment in Happy Valley.
Outside of the obvious preparations that go into playing on the road, head coach Bryan Harsin believes there are certain qualities needed for teams to handle games like this away from home.
Leadership
"Teams that like to be coached. So coming off two games we've won – they still want to be coached, they still want to have their notebooks out and listen and pay attention and write things down and even become a better student of the game and better at their preparation and better practice habits as the season goes on."
Resiliency
"How do we handle adversity? What's that going to look like? One of the things you've got to be prepared for is even just Friday and the travel. Something happens to the bus, the plane is late, the rooms aren't ready, you didn't have the bed that you wanted, whatever it is. There's always something. It's just how we handle that, the travel, and then how we handle ourselves on game day – just being resilient and being able to respond."
Toughness
"Being able to go in and hit the weight room and be on time like you're supposed to, be where you're supposed to be, go to class – just all the things that make a week successful. That's what good teams do so you have very little distractions going into a game on the road like Penn State. You can have everybody locked in throughout the week so when it comes Saturday morning and you hit your final walk-throughs, guys are ready to go."
The last time Auburn went on the road and beat a ranked team out conference was in 2014 against No. 20 Kansas State. Since 2015, the Tigers have only beaten two ranked teams on the road – winning twice at Texas A&M (2019, 2015).
Saturday's game is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT from Beaver Stadium. The game will be televised on ABC with Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe on the call. You can also listen to Andy Burcham, Stan White and Ronnie Brown who will have the radio call on 93.9 Tiger FM and online at AuburnTigers.com.
THREE QUESTIONS WITH … RB TANK BIGSBY
Q: What has been the message from Coach Harsin this week?
A: Worry about the little things and make sure we capitalize on the big plays when we can make the big plays happen. Also, it's just another game. Don't think of it as a big game. It's another game, another opponent.
Q: What would it mean for Auburn to go up there and get a win?
A: It would mean a lot to the Auburn Family, to the people that have done it before us, the guys that put in the hard work – the same work we put in – before us. I know it would mean a lot to those guys, and I know it would mean a lot to our team because of all the work we've put in together. It would mean a lot to the Auburn Family to go there and get the win.
Q: What have you seen from Jarquez Hunter? What does he bring to this offense?
A: Knowing Jarquez, he's very talented. He's a very good kid. He's like a little brother to me. I trust him, so I'm sure that when he gets in, he'll capitalize on his moments. It's nothing we'll have to worry about. He's a very talented back – quick and fast – so I feel like he'll capitalize on his moments.
INSIDE THE SERIES: PENN STATE
The series between Auburn and Penn State is tied, 1-1, with both previous meetings coming in bowl games. The Nittany Lions won the first matchup, a 43-14 victory in the Outback Bowl following the 1995 season. Auburn capped its 2002 campaign with a 13-9 win over Penn State in the Capital One Bowl.
This will be Auburn's third-ever regular season game against a Big Ten team and first since 1931, a 7-7 tie at Wisconsin – which was the Tigers' only other regular-season road game at a Big Ten stadium. The first matchup came in 1917 against Ohio State. The game, played in Montgomery, also finished in a tie (0-0).
Series: Tied, 1-1
In Tampa: Penn State, 1-0
In Orlando: Auburn, 1-0
First Meeting: 1995
Most AU points: 14 (1995)
Current Streak: Auburn, W1
BY THE NUMBERS
61: Auburn leads the nation in scoring offense (61.0 points per game) and is also tied for the lead in scoring defense (5.0 ppg). Auburn's 122 points to open the 2021 season is tied for the fourth-most points scored through the first two games of a season in program history.
94: Freshman Jarquez Hunter's 94-yard touchdown run against Alabama State was not only the longest run in Auburn history, it's also the longest run in the country this season by five yards. Between Hunter and Tank Bigsby, Auburn is one of just two FBS teams to have two 100-yard rushers in each of the first two games this year. The other is Baylor.
21.5: The Tigers lead the nation in rush defense, allowing only 21.5 yards per game. In the season opener, Auburn held Akron to -3 rushing yards, the fewest rushing yards allowed since Florida in 2001 (-36 yards).
3: Graduate transfer Demetris Robertson scored his first, second and third Auburn touchdowns against Alabama State on Saturday. The first two came on receptions while the third score was a 36-yard run. He's the first Auburn player with three touchdowns in a game since JaTarvious Whitlow did it against Mississippi State in 2019.