AUBURN | During an atrocious third quarter that included two turnovers and being outscored 17-0 by Penn State, Auburn coach Bryan Harsin and offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau nearly made a big move.

Third-team quarterback Zach Calzada started warming up on the sidelines in preparation to enter a game for the first time this season.

Instead, the Tigers stuck with backup quarterback Robby Ashford for the final 24 minutes of the game.

“Yeah, we talked about it,” said Harsin. “I think we wanted to keep Robby in there and let him keep playing. He got an opportunity to get in there and do that. So we’ll see. That’ll be something … we’ll evaluate everything as we go into this week. That’s what we always do. And see what’s going to be the best combination for us to be prepared and ready to go out there and play against Missouri.”

Calzada, who transferred from Texas A&M after last season, entered preseason practice as the favorite to win the starting job, but finished a distant third to T.J. Finley and Ashford.

In Saturday’s 41-12 loss to the Nittany Lions in Jordan-Hare Stadium, Finley started and finished 11 of 19 for 152 yards with one interception. Ashford was 10 of 19 for 144 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Neither Finley or Ashford got a lot of help from their teammates. PSU finished with six sacks and nine quarterback pressures. AU’s three running backs — Tank Bigsby, Jarquez Hunter and Damari Alston — managed just 57 yards on 15 carries, an average of 3.8 yards per carry.

“It’s not one player. That’s the thing. In football, it’s never just one guy,” said Harsin. “It comes back to an entire team effort or lack thereof when it’s all said and done. You win as a team, you lose as a team. That’s really what the message is.

“So we’ll look at why but I’m not going to put all the pressure and all the reasons on one particular player. It’s just what we're doing or what we're not doing. That’s really what we have to dissect and look at and make sure we are better prepared for those things as we go into this week.”

Auburn (2-1) opens SEC play next Saturday against Missouri. Kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.