Jake Crain: Penn State has better coaches, QB, and roster but Jordan-Hare will be the difference
Crain & Company host Jake Crain believes that even though Penn State has Auburn beat in the personnel, talent, and (especially) the quarterback departments, Jordan-Hare Stadium will be the difference Saturday as the Tigers and Nittany Lions play the final leg of a home-and-home that began last season in a Week 3 loss for AU.
Penn State has the better roster, more accomplished coaches & the better QB….but Jordan-Hare is the difference. Auburn by a TD
— Jake “JBOY” Crain (@JakeCrain_) September 16, 2022
Of course, the confines of Jordan-Hare Stadium–which on gameday puts it behind only six cities in Alabama for the most populated place in the state–has been known to make the unthinkable realized. The Kick-Six, Prayer at Jordan-Hare, and 2017 Georgia regular season matchup are living proof of that fact.
Late Kick’s Josh Pate believes that Penn State fans will ‘change their opinion of voodoo after they play at Auburn.’ That’s a respected opinion in the college football world, and makes that plus-money Auburn odds look like a juicy Saturday steak.
What Auburn needs to do to upset Penn State in Jordan-Hare
The most obvious answer for many regarding what Auburn will need to do to upset Penn State on Saturday is wear alternate orange uniforms for the first time in history. Then again, the ideas of hearing boos during the orange-out from old heads and fans of tradition is nightmarish.
As for on-field solutions, the most important thing Auburn can do defensively is to stifle Penn State’s sixth-year gunslinger Sean Clifford by stacking the box and collapsing the pocket so he doesn’t have time to let loose on a suspect Tigers secondary. Penn State’s biggest weakness offensively is their OL, so Auburn’s trenches must be its biggest strength.
On offense, a heavy dose of Tank Bigsby, Jarquez Hunter, Damari Alston, and (on occasion) Robby Ashford could mitigate any struggles T.J. Finley may experience in the passing game. Finley struggled Week 1 with two interceptions and threw another one in Week 2, but he did get his act together and completed 12 of his final 15 throws against San Jose State.
Given that it’s Jordan-Hare, we may see a shocking hero rise from the ashes and bring Auburn to 3-0. Predicting what’s going to happen in a big game on the Plains is a tougher thing to predict than how long rain will last in the south.