STULTZ: Harsin's reasoning doesn't add up on lack of Tank

AUBURN | Getting beat by a better team is excusable, although the deficit in which Penn State defeated Auburn in Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday isn't. Losses happen. But one thing that isn't excusable for the Tigers, and specifically the coaching staff, was the fact that Tank Bigsby touched the ball just 11 times in the game.

And Bryan Harsin's response to why that happened raises even more questions than it answers.

"I think the obvious is that we got behind, and we had to throw the football," he said. "I mean, that's really what it came down to."

Sure, this makes excellent sense when the Tigers were down big in the second half, but why did Bigsby see the ball once in the entire second quarter when the Nittany Lions were holding onto a touchdown or less lead?

"I don't know all the reasons," Harsin said. "But yeah. We want to get Tank the ball."

Wait just a second. You don't know all the reasons? Listen, I know Eric Kiesau is calling the plays, but Harsin is and always has been heavily involved in the offense. And when you are facing a formidable team in the biggest non-conference home game in years, it seems you would have prepared to have your best offensive player, arguably Bigsby, be a significant factor in the game plan.

And this doesn't just come down to handing the ball off to him. During fall camp, Harsin and Kiesau spoke about how important it is to get the ball in Tank's hands. That's understandable, considering the talent and explosiveness Bigsby showed in his first two seasons. Getting him involved in the passing game was a crucial element of the revamped offense that Kiesau was now in charge of.

It worked when Bigsby got the ball, too, as the running back took one 37 yards near the end of the first half to give Auburn a little hope of putting points on the board. This is where you interrupt and say, "Hey, wasn't this against soft coverage?" Yes, you are correct. But Tank's moves to get those yards showed why the ball should be in his hands more.

"I think the big thing was the score and trying to do some things to get him the ball," Harsin said. "And the pass game is included in that too, so there was opportunities for him there as well. So it's not all just the touches in the run game. It's the touches in the pass game."

Just not enough opportunities, and Harsin, for all the talk about being consistent and executing, isn't sure why other than a lame-duck excuse about being behind. Of course, there's a chance that when he goes back to watch the game film, the coach will better understand what happened, and possibly Penn State was doing a great job focusing on Bigsby.

But you have to get the ball in the hands of your best players, and right now, that is Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter (just eight touches on Saturday). Until a quarterback steps up and shows he's ready to be productive – and both have shown small signs of that – the two backs need to put this offense on their back despite being behind an offensive line that still struggles in all aspects of the game.

We've heard about getting Bigsby involved in the offense in many ways. Harsin better discover the reasons why that's not happening immediately.