AUBURN | Bryan Harsin wasn’t happy with the play of his secondary in an opening win over Mercer. It was the same after Saturday’s win over San Jose State.

In two games, opposing quarterbacks have combined to complete 45 of 76 passes (59.2 percent) for 472 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

“I think the quarterbacks have played a factor. And pass rush-wise, those guys have been getting the ball out,” said AU coach Bryan Harsin. “It's hard to get a pass rush when they're throwing it on one step. And that's part of it. The tradeoff is on some of those plays you can break on the ball and have a chance to make a play on some of those quick passes.

“I think we just have to keep doing a better job. We've got to play better on the back end at the end of the day. We've got good players back there. I think how we practice, how we prepare, all the things that we do have got to be improved.”

The task gets much tougher this week against Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford, who completed 28 of 32 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns in last season’s 28-20 win over AU at Beaver Stadium.

In the first two games this fall, Clifford has completed 39 of 64 passes (60.9 percent) for 495 yards with five touchdowns and one interception.

“There's good quarterbacks out there and we're going to face another one this week,” said Harsin. “They do a good job throwing the football. And when there's a chance, when the ball's in the air, we've got to make some plays on it at the end of the day.

“Pass rush is a part of that. Underneath coverage is a part of that. It all plays together. It's not just one guy. Everything plays off each other on defense. But at the end of the day, I think we just had some bonehead penalties that we can be better at. And that comes down to just doing what you're coached to do at the end of the day.”

Kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.