![Auburn football defensive back Roger McCreary (17) hits Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs III (11) before the ball arrives as Ruggs hauls in a touchdown pass in Bryant-Denny Stadium during Alabama's 52-21 victory over Auburn in the Iron Bowl Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/063aa8fc3ca3cf6a2602f275927aaca1503947837781050e257d637a9d835d53.jpg "Auburn football defensive back Roger McCreary (17) hits Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs III (11) before the ball arrives as Ruggs hauls in a touchdown pass in Bryant-Denny Stadium during Alabama's 52-21 victory over Auburn in the Iron Bowl Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]")
The Auburn football team faced their first test of the 2021 season this past weekend in Penn State territory and came away with a tough loss. While the Tigers fought hard against the No. 10 team in the country (at the time) but couldn’t make up for some key mistakes in the second half.
Despite the Penn State whiteout allegedly being the most hostile environment in college sports, the team managed to stay pretty well composed in their first road game. The Tigers racked up 182 rushing yards to bring their season total to 862, the third-best rushing game in the SEC behind Florida (1,008 yards) and Ole Miss (896 yards).
Auburn football managed to hold Penn State to only 84 rushing yards, allowing an average of 2.5 yards per carry. Running backs Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter are both averaging over 100 yards per game.
Although it wasn’t enough for the Tigers to pull off an upset win on the road, ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit liked what he saw from Auburn football and believes that they could give the infamous Crimson Tide a run for their money at the 86th Iron Bowl in Jordan-Hare at the end of the season:
"I'm not saying 'look out Alabama in the Iron Bowl,' but I liked what I saw from Auburn in that tough environment at Penn State."
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) September 21, 2021
-@KirkHerbstreit saw positive signs despite Auburn's loss last weekend
The desperate need for improvement lies in Auburn’s pass defense. The Tigers allowed the Nittany Lions 302 passing yards on Saturday, and 29 of 33 passes were completed. This season, Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford has passed for 757 yards and four touchdowns for a completion percentage of 71.3.
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young has passed for 811 yards and 10 touchdowns for a completion percentage of 68. Red zone pass defense is going to be critical for the Tigers if they plan to take down the Tide at the end of November, but at least Auburn football has the confidence of one football analyst.