Penn State Football vs Auburn: Nittany Lions’ reasons for optimism and to worry

No. 10 Penn State Football welcomes the No. 22 Auburn Tigers to town Saturday night, in a highly anticipated non-conference showdown at Beaver Stadium

Saturday night against No. 22 Auburn will be a tough test for the Nittany Lions, especially offensively, for a Penn State Football team still learning in the intricacies of a new scheme.

Penn State Football quarterback Sean Clifford has limited turnovers so far this season, but the Tigers have an excellent secondary. The Lions’ only “weakness” on defense, does not match up well with what Auburn wants to do offensively.

The Nittany Lions have plenty working in their favor though, from an excellent secondary of their own, to a great coordinator, and of course… home field advantage, as the White Out has emerged as one of the more intimidating environments for visitors in all of sports.

Here are reasons for optimism that Penn State Football will hold serve and pick up a second win over a ranked opponent this season, and to worry about Auburn:

Penn State Football Reason to Worry: Auburn’s Running Game

Auburn’s backfield is led by 2020 SEC Freshman of the Year, Tank Bigsby. So far this season, Bigsby has averaged 10 yards per carry, and has found the end zone twice. The Tigers also have some talent behind him, including freshman Jarquez Hunter, who is averaging 15.1 yards per carry this year.

This Auburn team also has a lot of talent and experience along the offensive line to create running lanes for their running backs.

Penn State struggled against Wisconsin to stop the run, in part because their defense was worn down from being on the field so much. Penn State’s secondary is excellent, and Auburn quarterback Bo Nix has struggled with interceptions in the past, so the Tigers surely would like to rely on the ground game as much as possible.