Harsin on Penn State showdown: 'Embrace it'

AUBURN | Bryan Harsin doesn't want to see his players timid this Saturday night. Sure, it will be loud in Beaver Stadium as more than 110,000 Penn State fans yell to make life difficult for the Tigers. It's a hostile environment, the first one facing Auburn this season. However, Harsin doesn't want to see nerves. Instead, he wants his players to enjoy the challenge.

"Embrace it," the Auburn head coach said. "Enjoy the opportunity to play in somebody else's house … I think this is part of what makes college football, and just football in general, so special is you get playing environments like that."

Embracing it is easier said than done considering this fact: this is the first true road game that Auburn will play in with a packed stadium since 2019 as the COVID-19 pandemic limited spectators last season. That means Tank Bigsby, Ja'Varrius Johnson, Keiondre Jones and other sophomores face a venomous crowd for the first time.

For the freshmen? Well, you get the point.

Yet Harsin won't dare use excuses. For the first-year Auburn coach, mental preparation for going into an environment such as Happy Valley started Sunday, if not before. It's his players and coaching staff having that focus every crucial day. On Sunday, The Tigers watched the film of the Alabama State game and viewed things they needed to correct. On Tuesday, the players' focus switches to practice.

There's also the maturity aspect, Harsin says. Now ranked after an easy 2-0 start to the season, how will the players handle the hype that comes with a nationally-televised game against a significant powerhouse opponent? Don't get caught up in all the talk and compliments flying your way. Instead, focus on being the best player you can be all week long.

The coach expects that from everyone. Adversity is going to hit at one point or another during road games. That's when the trust in your teammates and the other 10 men on the field with you matters.

"You're the most experienced and mature and the most physical player you've been," Harsin expects from his players this week. "If that's not the case, then we're not preparing ourselves to play the game that we need to play in order to win."

A good Penn State team and boisterous crowd await Harsin and the Tigers in State College on Saturday. Then we will see if they cower away from the big moment or embrace it.