By: Pasquale Tartaro, GoPSUSports.com
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa - Penn State's Beaver Stadium will be packed with more than 107,000 fans dressed in white, as the No. 10 Nittany Lions (2-0) welcome No. 22 Auburn (2-0) for a rare Big Ten-SEC regular-season showdown.
Game Information:
The highly anticipated matchup will mark Penn State's first true "whiteout" game since a 2019 win against Michigan. The notorious tradition was put on hiatus last season when COVID-19 restrictions forced the Nittany Lions play in an empty stadium
The hostile environment is a unique challenge for Auburn, as the Tigers have not played a road Big Ten game in nine decades; furthermore, Auburn is looking to beat a top 10 team on the road for the first time since 2014 (win at No. 7 Mississippi).
Moreover, head coach Bryan Harsin's squad is set to make the program's first Big Ten road trip since they visited Wisconsin in 1931.
As for the SEC, it will be the first time a ranked team has visited a ranked Big Ten opponent, joining Alabama at Penn State (2011) and Georgia at Michigan (1965).
In addition, this will mark the fifth-straight year that ESPN's " College GameDay" has traveled to Happy Valley, making Penn State the only school to host the show every year since 2017.
Kick off on Saturday, Sept. 18 is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on ABC.
Players to Watch: Auburn
Through two games, the Tigers lead the nation in points (122) and have gained a large total of 1,151 yards. In particular, the success of offensive coordinator Mike Bobo's group is in direct correlation with running backs Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter, who have both reached 100 rushing yards in each game so far.
Bigsby, who earned SEC freshman of the year honors in 2020, has run for 241 yards on just 24 carries. On the other hand, Hunter has amassed 257 yards in his first two collegiate games, setting a school record with a 94-yard touchdown run against Alabama State last week.
At the quarterback position, the Tigers are led by Bo Nix, who received the SEC freshman of the year award just the season before Bigsby.
Though he did not complete upwards of 60 percent of his passes in either of his first two seasons, Nix has connected at a 74.4 percent clip thus far in 2021.
The junior, who is also yet to commit a turnover this season, will look to continue to take care of the football against a pesky Nittany Lions defense that has forced five takeaways in its first two contests.
Players to Watch: Penn State
The trend remains the same for quarterback Sean Clifford and the Penn State offense, who is yet to turn the ball over this season. Clifford, an experienced senior, hasn't thrown an interception in 115 attempts dating back to last season.
Though wide receiver Jahan Dotson leads the way for the Nittany Lions in the passing game, there has been a plethora of contributors within new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich's scheme; 10 different receivers caught passes from Clifford against Ball State last week.
On the other side of the ball, Nix and the Badgers will have to be wary of where preseason All-American Jaquan Brisker is on the field at all times.
Brisker, whose versatility makes him an integral part of Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry's group, sealed the Nittany Lions' road victory over Wisconsin with an interception in the red zone.
