ESPN College GameDay heading to Auburn vs Penn State

College GameDay will be up in Happy Valley this weekend!

It’s finally here.

Auburn’s matchup with Penn State has been looming in the distance for years, and it’s finally here – and College GameDay will be there to witness it.

ESPN announced Saturday afternoon following the conclusion of Iowa vs Iowa State that they along with College GameDay would be taking the trip up to Happy Valley to watch a Top 25 showdown between Auburn and Penn State.

At the time this article was written, both the USA Today AFCA Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25 poll have not been released. More updates to come regarding Auburn and Penn State’s spot in the AP poll.

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Stats from Auburn’s win over Alabama State

Here are some Auburn stats from the Alabama State win.

Auburn won big against Alabama State Saturday and the stats speak for themselves.

Scoring

Anders Carlson opened the scoring with two first-quarter field goals to give Auburn a 6-0 lead. 

Auburn scored their first touchdown of the day when Bo Nix connected with Demetris Robertson for a 6-yard touchdown. 

Auburn got their second touchdown on special teams when Colby Wooden blocked a field goal and Nehemiah Pritchett returned it 80 yards for a touchdown.

Auburn exploded for 35 points in the third quarter and Robertson got the scoring started with a 28-yard touchdown reception and 36-yard touchdown rush. Roger McCreary joined the party with a 36-yard pick-six. Malcolm Johnson Jr. caught a 49-yard pass from T.J. Finley for his first touchdown before Jarquex Hunter set a program record with a 94-yard touchdown run. Auburn’s last score came on a Sean Jackson 4-yard rush to win 62-0. 

Team Stats 

Total yards: AU 538, ASU 176

Passing yards: AU 174, ASU 130

Rushing yards: AU 364, ASU 46

First downs: AU 22, ASU 11

Third downs: AU 5-11, ASU 4-15

Sacks: AU 2, ASU 1

Penalties: AU 9-61, ASU 9-61

Individual Stats

Bo Nix: 9 of 17, 108 yards and 2 touchdowns, 2 rushes for -2 yards

T.J. Finley: 2 of 2, 66 yards and 1 touchdown

Tank Bigsby: 11 carries for 122 yards and 0 touchdowns

Jarquez Hunter: 8 carries for 147 yards and 1 touchdown, 1 catch for 14 yards

Sean Jackson: 10 carries for 38 yards and 1 touchdown

Jay Sharp: 5 carries for 15 yards

Jordon Ingram: 2 carries 8 yards

Demetris Robertson: 3 catches for 61 yards and 2 touchdowns, 1 rush for 36 yards, and a touchdown

Kobe Hudson: 2 receptions for 14 yards

Shedrick Jackson: 2 catches for 11 yards

Malcolm Johnson Jr.: 1 catch for 49 yards and a touchdown

Elijah Canion: 1 catch for 17 yards

John Samuel Shenker: 1 reception for 8 yards

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Five reasons to panic: Auburn looking sloppy against Alabama State

Are you panicking yet?

Remember how I said yesterday that Auburn was getting hot while other SEC teams were struggling with inferior competition?

Forget all of that.

Through two quarters Auburn leads Alabama State 20-0, but they have not looked good in the process. After completing 20 of his 22 pass attempts last week, Nix is 8 for 16 for 80 yards and one touchdown.

Here are five reasons why I’m panicking with Penn State a week away.

Stats from Auburn’s first half against Alabama State

What an interesting first half.

Here’s where Auburn stands at the half against Alabama State.

Scoring

Anders Carlson opened the scoring with two first-quarter field goals to give Auburn a 6-0 lead. 

Auburn scored their first touchdown of the day when Bo Nix connected with Demetris Robertson for a 6-yard touchdown. 

Auburn got their second touchdown on special teams when Colby Wooden blocked a field goal and Nehemiah Pritchett returned it 80 yards for a touchdown.

Team Stats 

Total yards: AU 161, ASU 96

Passing yards: AU 80, ASU 83

Rushing yards: AU 81, ASU 13

First downs: AU 9, ASU 7

Third downs: AU 2-7, ASU 3-9

Sacks: AU 2, ASU 1

Penalties: AU 6-41, ASU 3-25

Individual Stats

Bo Nix: 8 of 16, 80 yards and 1 touchdown, 2 rushes for -2 yards

Tank Bigsby: 8 carries for 55 yards and 2 touchdowns

Jarquez Hunter: 6 carries for 28 yards, 1 catch for 14 yards

Demetris Robertson: 2 catches for 33 yards and a touchdown

Kobe Hudson: 2 receptions for 14 yards

Shedrick Jackson: 2 catches for 11 yards

John Samuel Shenker: 1 reception for 8 yards

Auburn fans need to treat TJ Finley fairly

Auburn fans are continuously disgruntled with the quarterback position.

Auburn fans are continuously disgruntled with the quarterback position.

TJ Finley, Auburn’s backup quarterback, saw action in the second half of a 60-20 blowout over Akron. Finley completed two passes for 22 yards. He also scored on a one-yard touchdown run.

Some fans took to social media to express their displeasure with Finley’s performance in the blowout.

Zac Blackerby of the Locked on Auburn podcast broke down on his latest episode why some fans on social media need to tamp down their expectations for TJ Finley in settings like the one he was in on Saturday night.

“A lot of people discredit TJ Finley quickly by saying that ‘this never really was a quarterback battle’ or that ‘TJ Finley looked lost out there,’ and I dont think thats fair to TJ Finley, because the game was over,” Blackerby said. “It’s a different mindset. Bo Nix had access to the opening script as far as playcalls go. He had access to the full playbook, Mike Bobo was calling a game trying score points while Bo was in. It’s just a different offensive mentality at that stage of the game. (Nix) had his starters around him, Finley did not. Let’s not act like Finley is some incompetent quarterback.”


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Three losers from Auburn’s win over Akron

Were there any losers for the Tigers on Saturday night?

Nobody lost on Saturday night except for Akron.

Maybe Alabama fans as well. Auburn is looking like the second-best team in the SEC West right now and that does not bode well for the Crimson Tide, who travel to Jordan-Hare at the end of the season.

Every player that touched the ball for Auburn looked fantastic Saturday night. Bo Nix, Tank Bigsby, Shaun Shivers, the receivers, and even the tight ends got involved. The defense was just as clean. No major mistakes, a great pass rush, and good sideline-to-sideline pass coverage.

Keeping that in mind, here are three “losers” from last nights dominating 60-10 performance over Akron

Report Card: Grading Auburn’s 60-10 win over Akron

Here’s a report card on Auburn’s 60-10 win over the Akron Zips.

What a great way to start off the Bryan Harsin era.

Auburn thumped the Akron Zips 60-10 on Saturday night. It’s the most points Auburn has scored in a head coach’s debut, breaking the previous record held by Gene Chizik (37 points vs Louisiana Tech in 2009).

Offensively, Nix was focused and having fun. Defensively, Auburn didn’t force any turnovers, but the defensive line looked furious. Had the starters stayed in, Auburn would have shut the Zips out. A complete performance from the Tigers deserves high praise. This is exactly what fans needed to see as a confidence booster heading into the next two weeks.

Here’s my report card on each individual unit for the Tigers.

Ten takeaways from Auburn’s 60-10 win over Akron

Ten takeaways from Saturday night.

Auburn was in control the entire game against Akron. 

The Tigers wasted no time in asserting their dominance of the overmatched Zips, scoring touchdowns on their first five drives to take a commanding 37-0 lead into halftime. The starters scored one more touchdown in the third quarter before the reserves were able to get into the action.

As good as the offense was, the defense was just as good, holding the Zips to 212 yards and 10 points. 

Here are 10 takeaways from the game. 

Offensive stats from Auburn’s 60-10 win over Akron

Some really impressive numbers from Saturday night…

Here are the offensive stats from Auburn’s 60-10 win over Akron. 

Scoring

Tank Bigsby opened the scoring with a 32-yard run and a one-yard touchdown on the fifth drive.

Bo Nix connected with Shaun Shivers on a 19-yard touchdown pass on the second possession. He then found Ja’Varrius Johnson for a 34-yard touchdown on the third drive and Kobe Hudson for a 28-yard touchdown on the fourth.

Anders Carlson closed the half with a 44-yard field goal to give Auburn a 37-0 lead.

Shivers opened the second half with a 26-yard touchdown rush for his second score of the night. Akron then snapped the ball over the head of their punter before a safety. 

T.J. Finley scored his first touchdown for Auburn on a quarterback sneak on the ensuing drive before freshman Jarquez Hunter scored his first career touchdown to give Auburn the 60-10 win.

Team Stats

Total yards: AU 612, AK 212

Pass yards: AU 297, AK 191

Rush yards: AU 315, AK 21

Yards per play: AU 10.6, AK 3.4

Penalties: AU 3-25, AK 5-35

First downs: AU 28, AK 12

Third downs: AU 4-6, AK 3-14

Sacks: AU 6, AK 0

Individual Stats

Bo Nix: 20 of 22, 275 yards and 3 touchdowns, 3 rushes for 32 yards

T.J. Finley: 2 of 5, 22 yards, 1 rush for 1 yard and 1 touchdown

Tank Bigsby: 13 carries for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns, 1 catch for 19 yards

Shaun Shivers: 2 carries for 26 yards, 1 catch for 19 yards and 1 touchdown

Jarquez Hunter: 9 carries for 110 yards and 1 touchdown

Sean Jackson: 2 carries for 24 yards 

Shedrick Jackson: 5 catches for 79 yards

John Samuel Shenker: 5 catches for 38 yards

Ja’Varrius Johnson: 3 catches for 51 yards and 1 touchdown

Kobe Hudson: 2 catches for 41 yards and 1 touchdown

Demetris Robertson: 3 catches for 28 yards, 1 carry for 7 yards

Ze’Vian Capers: 1 catch for 13 yards

Elijiah Canion: 1 catch for 9 yards

Malcolm Johnson Jr.: 1 rush for 1 yard

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Stats from Auburn’s first half against Akron

What a great first half!

The Bryan Harsin era is underway and the Tigers stormed out ot a 37-0 lead against Akron. Here are the stats from the first half.

Scoring

Tank Bigsby opened the scoring with a 32-yard run and a one-yard touchdown on the fifth drive.

Bo Nix connected with Shaun Shivers on a 19-yard touchdown pass on the second possession. He then found Ja’Varrius Johnson for a 34-yard touchdown on the third drive and Kobe Hudson for a 28-yard touchdown on the fourth.

Anders Carlson closed the half with a 44-yard field goal to give Auburn a 37-0 lead.

Team Stats 

Total yards: AU 382, AK 74

Pass yards: AU 255, AK 62

Rush yards: AU 127, AK 12

Penalties: AU 2-15, AK 2-10

First downs: AU 18, AK 5

Third downs: AU 4-4, AK 2-8

Sacks: AU 3, AK 0.

Individual Stats

Bo Nix: 18 of 20, 255 yards and 3 touchdowns, 3 rushes for 32 yards

Tank Bigsby: 11 carries for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns, 1 catch for 19 yards

Shaun Shivers: 1 carry for -2 yards, 1 catch for 19 yards and 1 touchdown

Shedrick Jackson: 5 catches for 79 yards

John Samuel Shenker: 4 catches for 31 yards

Ja’Varrius Johnson: 3 catches for 51 yards and 1 touchdown

Demetris Robertson: 2 catches for 15 yards, 1 carry for 7 yards

Kobe Hudson: 2 catches for 41 yards and 1 touchdown