No. 22 Penn State (2-0) will try to pick up an impressive non-conference win over unranked Auburn (2-0) this afternoon at Jordan-Hare Stadium (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS). Saturday will be the fourth time these two storied programs are facing each other. Last season, the Nittany Lions defeated the Tigers 28-20 in Happy Valley in a game that had a ton of offense from both teams.
Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford completed 28-of-32 passes for 280 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. One of his touchdown passes went to Jahan Dotson, who is now in the NFL with the Commanders. Meanwhile, the Tigers' offense dominated the Nittany Lions' defense on the ground with 182 yards. Tank Bigsby led both teams with 102 yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns. Bigsby will play a major role in how Saturday's game is determined.
The Nittany Lions are coming off of a 46-10 win over Ohio last week at Beaver Stadium. Freshman running back Nicholas Singleton went off on the Bobcats' defense, putting up 179 yards on 10 carries and two scores. All eyes will be on the frosh to see what he can do against an SEC defense.
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Under center for the Tigers is T.J. Finley, who has had an uneven start to the regular season. The 6-7 signal-caller is completing 64.7 percent of his passes for 279 yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions. The Tigers will need the junior quarterback to play mistake-free football, especially if they want to pull off the upset on Saturday afternoon. Last week, Auburn escaped with a 24-16 home win over San Jose State. The Tigers' running game stole the show against the Spartans, rushing for 210 yards and three touchdowns.
Below, we'll break down what you need to know before you bet on this Week 3 matchup between Penn State and Auburn.
Penn State vs. Auburn odds
Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook
- Spread: Penn State -3
- Over/under: 48
- Moneyline: Penn State -155; Auburn +130
Three trends to know
— Penn State is 24-24 straight up against the current SEC teams and 11-16 in regular season games against SEC squads.
— Auburn is 15-5 straight up in its past 20 games but 1-4 ATS in its past five games against Big Ten teams.
— During the James Franklin era, Penn State is 14-4 against the spread after scoring at least 42 points in its previous game, according to BetQL's Bryan Zarpentine.
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Three things to watch
— Which Sean Clifford will show up?: If the Nittany Lions want to stay undefeated, it will fall on the arm of the veteran quarterback. Clifford has played well through Penn State's first two games this season against Purdue and Ohio. In Week 1 against the Boilermakers, he only turned over the ball once but had 282 yards and four touchdowns. Penn State won't need four touchdowns from Clifford on Saturday, but it will need him to take care of the ball. Last season, Clifford had just four interceptions against non-conference opponents, and two of those turnovers came against Arkansas in the bowl game.
— T.J. Finley vs. Penn State's defense: On the other sideline, the Tigers are hoping that Finley can outduel Clifford on Saturday afternoon. As we mentioned earlier, Finley's play has been inconsistent through the first two games, but he's a talented quarterback. He'll be facing a Penn State defense that has just four starters returning from last season. However, we'll have to keep an eye out for defensive back Joey Porter Jr., who will be looking to make a game-changing play.
— Watch out for the Tank: Last season, Bigsby gave Penn State fits, running for 102 yards and two touchdowns. This season, the junior RB already has 198 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. Bigbsy was held to 51 yards and 3.9 yards per carry last week against San Jose State, but the previous week he had 147 yards and two scores against Mercer. Penn State has allowed just 80.5 rushing yards per game, but it has not faced a running back like Bigbsy this season.
Penn State vs. Auburn prediction
The Nittany Lions will be walking into a hostile environment as the Tigers look to pull the upset and move their way into the AP Top 25 rankings. This game will be a defensive battle to start, but the running games will open things up. Expect Clifford to throw two touchdown passes and a questionable interception. However, he will outplay Finley and lead Penn State to a solid non-conference win.
Final score: Penn State 24, Auburn 20. Penn State (-3) covers the spread on the road, while the total goes UNDER.
