Auburn vs. Penn State prediction: Can Nittany Lions avoid road upset in non-conference rematch?

For just the fourth time in program history, Penn State will face Auburn in a non-conference clash after winning last year’s meeting in University Park behind stout defense down the stretch.

This time, the Nittany Lions’ offense will be in full focus after carrying this team to a pair of wins to open the season. They’ll have a tough task as short road favorites against the Tigers, whose veteran defense will give the visitors all they can handle.

Here’s how we’re betting Saturday’s contest, which kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

Last season’s win over Auburn served as a high-water mark of sorts for Penn State, which vaulted into the top five in the AP poll shortly after that win. Then, it all came crashing down: the Nittany Lions lost six of their final eight games, averaging just 21.9 points down the stretch after scoring 30 points per game across that 5-0 start.

This group already looks different through the first two games of the season. Penn State scored 35 points in a season-opening win over Purdue – the most against a Big Ten opponent since the shortened 2020 season – and followed that up with a 46-point outburst against Ohio. Freshman tailback Nick Singleton already looks like a star in the making after turning 10 carries into 179 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s win.

He brings an element to this offense that it simply didn’t have last year, when it rushed for a meager 84 yards against Auburn and didn’t have a single back with more than 530 yards or four touchdowns on the season. Instead, veteran quarterback Sean Clifford picked apart the Tigers’ defense, finishing 28-of-32 (87.5%) for 280 yards and a pair of first-half scores.

Clifford is back for this one, though former Auburn quarterback Bo Nix has since departed for Oregon. His absence is tremendous – coach Bryan Harsin hasn’t committed fully to either T.J. Finley and Robby Ashford, who have combined for one passing touchdown through two games. That’s tied for the fifth-fewest by any Power Five program.

Yes, leading rusher Tank Bigsby (198 yards, 3 TDs) has a game fit for his name, and this Tigers defense is stacked with veteran talent and impact transfers. But their offense is painfully one-dimensional: through two games, they rank 103rd in passing yards per game (190) and have nearly twice as many rushing attempts (79) as passing attempts (44).

Penn State’s run defense was leaky at times last year, but the Nittany Lions were stellar in the red zone and have allowed fewer than 100 rushing yards in each of their first two contests in 2022. It’s always tricky laying points on the road in a hostile SEC environment, but James Franklin’s squad matches up well enough to expect a second straight win in this series.

Penn State -3 (-110 BetMGM)

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