Published On: 09.15.22 | 

By: Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Football preview: Auburn welcomes Penn State, Alabama hosts La.-Monroe, UAB takes on hot Georgia Southern team

Tank Bigsby (4) runs the ball during the game between Auburn and San Jose State. This week the 2-0 Tigers face their biggest test yet: the Nittany Lions of Penn State. (Todd Van Emst / AU Athletics)

Bryan Harsin knows what he’s getting when James Franklin brings his No. 22 Penn State football team (2-0) to Jordan-Hare for a 2:30 p.m. game against Auburn (2-0) on CBS.

“I think Penn State’s a really good football team,” Harsin said. “I know Coach Franklin. I’ve been around him a few times and I think he does a tremendous job with his guys. I know he’s detailed. I know he coaches well. I know he’s got his coaching staff prepared.

“I saw a good football team,” the Tiger coach said, recalling his trip to Happy Valley last season. “I saw a well-coached football team. I saw a good football team that played hard. We played in their environment (and) we handled that noise. That was a big game. It was a whiteout. I remember that and they do a great job with their atmosphere.”

The Tigers will counter by asking all their fans to wear orange Saturday.

The day will be accented by a visit from SEC Nation Presented by Regions, the SEC Network’s weekly traveling pre-game show. The show will originate from the Wellness Kitchen Green Space from 9 to 11 a.m. Central on Saturday.

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (9) runs the ball against Texas. The Tide’s 20-19 victory was closer than many expected. This week’s game vs. Louisiana-Monroe should be less of a nail-biter, although you won’t catch Nick Saban saying that. (University of Alabama Athletics)

Alabama (2-0) slipped to No. 2 in the polls after eking out a 20-19 win over a Texas team that most popular betting sites set as a 21-point underdog. But Nick Saban said that doesn’t matter.

“What does it mean to be favored by 21 points?” Saban asked. “Well, there were two teams that I know of, maybe more I don’t know, that were favored by about the same amount that actually got beat. So I guess it doesn’t mean anything, and that’s why we have to play the games.

“It’s important for players to learn that they have to focus and prepare for every team and every opponent so that they can go out there and play to the best of their ability, because sometimes even when you win, you can lose,” said the coach, whose team is now ranked just behind defending national champion Georgia.

“The challenge for us is, from top to bottom in the organization, is to hold each other accountable, to make sure that we’re putting the players in the best position to have a chance to be successful, but we’re also teaching them fundamentally what they need to do to be able to have success, but then they have to be accountable, to challenge themselves every day to be able to do it,” he said.

Saturday, the Crimson Tide welcomes Louisiana-Monroe to Bryant-Denny Stadium for a 3 p.m. game on the SEC Network. The Warhawks are 1-1.

A week after falling for the second year in a row to Liberty, UAB (1-1) greets a Georgia Southern team (2-0) that’s coming off its biggest win ever, a 45-42 victory at Nebraska. The Eagles put up 642 yards of total offense against the Cornhuskers and will bring the nation’s second-ranked offense to Protective Stadium at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

“We just have to clean up our mistakes,” Blazer interim coach Bryant Vincent said. “We’ve got to continue to get better and we’ve got a big challenge ahead of us with Georgia Southern.”

In other Alabama college action:

Jacksonville State at Tulsa: The Gamecocks (3-0) have been a fierce foe so far this season, outscoring opponents 111-37. They’ll try to continue that trend at 6 p.m. Saturday against the 1-1 Golden Hurricane.

The West Alabama Tigers are off to a 2-0 start headed into this week’s game vs. Tuskegee. (West Alabama Athletics)

Troy at Appalachian State: Teams with one win and one loss are not created equally. The Trojans (1-1) lost by 18 points to No. 21 Ole Miss and trounced FCS Alabama A&M by 21 points. The Mountaineers lost 63-61 to North Carolina and shocked then-No. 6 Texas A&M 17-14. Game time is 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Samford at Tennessee Tech: Coach Chris Hatcher’s Bulldogs (1-1) were no match for the Georgia Bulldogs, falling 33-0 to what is now the No. 1 team in major college football. They should be more in their league as they face the Golden Eagles (1-1) at 6 p.m. Central on ESPN3.

Valdosta State at Miles: Sam Shade’s Golden Bears are winless in their two games this season, including a 31-0 loss last week to West Alabama. Miles plays its second home game at 6 p.m. Saturday against the Blazers (1-1).

Tuskegee at West Alabama: The West Alabama Tigers (2-0) are undefeated after beating Morehouse 24-16 and blanking Miles. Reginald Ruffin’s return as coach of the Golden Tigers (0-2) has gotten off to a slow start as Tuskegee has fallen 21-6 to Fort Valley State and 42-10 to Hampton. Kickoff at Tiger Stadium in Livingston is 2 p.m.

South Alabama at UCLA: The Jaguars (2-0) are the second Alabama team in as many weeks to face the Bruins in Pasadena’s famed Rose Bowl. Alabama State fell 45-7. Kickoff Saturday is at 1 p.m. Central against the 2-0 Bruins.

Huntingdon at Guilford: The Hawks (1-1) snapped their four-game losing steak to in-state rival Birmingham-Southern, edging the Panthers 38-35 to reclaim the Wesley Cup. Huntingdon visits the Quakers (1-1) at noon Saturday.

Austin Peay at Alabama A&M: Losses to UAB (59-0) and Troy (38-17) have left the Bulldogs winless (0-2), albeit against FBS foes. A&M’s home opener is against a fellow FCS opponent at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Governors are 2-1.

North Alabama at Chattanooga: The Lions evened their record at 1-1 last week by beating UVA Wise 49-17. The Mocs (2-0) are No. 9 in the FCS Coaches Poll and No. 10 in the STATS Perform FCS Top 25. Game time is 5 p.m. Central on Saturday.

Faulkner at Georgetown (Kentucky) College: After a week off, the Eagles (1-1) visit the No. 15 NAIA team in the country at 12:30 p.m. Central on Saturday. The Tigers are 2-0.

Idle this week: Alabama State, Birmingham-Southern.

HIGH SCHOOLS

Class 7A: Hoover (3-1) is ranked No. 6 in the latest Alabama Sports Writers Association ranking. Hewitt-Trussville (3-1) is No. 5. The Huskies host the Bucs on Friday.

Class 6A: Gadsden City has notched back-to-back victories after being saddled with back-to-back losses to open the season. The Titans aim to stay on the winning track as they host No. 6 Hartselle (4-0) on Friday.

Class 5A: No. 1 UMS-Wright (4-0) hosts No. 8 Vigor (3-1) on Friday.

Class 4A: No. 3 Andalusia (4-0) visits No. 7 Montgomery Academy (3-1) on Friday.

Class 3A: No. 5 Opp (3-1) and Pike County (2-1) each followed an opening loss with a win streak. Whose streak continues when the Bulldogs host the Bobcats on Friday?

Class 2A: Vincent (4-0) would be ranked No. 13 if the poll went that far. The Yellow Jackets could climb if they can get a win when No. 5. B.B. Comer (3-1) comes calling on Friday.

Class 1A: No. 7 Pickens County (3-1) ventures to South Lamar (3-1) on Friday.

AISA: No. 6 Glenwood (2-2) is at No. 5 Lee-Scott (3-0) with the top spot in the region up for grabs.

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