AUBURN | Jarquez Hunter found the corner and, with a Penn State defender barreling down on him, he had a choice: either try to run over or juke him. Little did we know that there was a third option. Hunter did.

The freshman running back leaped over the defensive player, landed squarely on his feet and gained at least 10 more yards. It was a small moment in a heartbreaking loss for Auburn, but it showed that Hunter, a three-star recruit out of Philadelphia, Miss., wasn't shying away from the moment, even in front of a packed-out house in his first collegiate road game. As my colleague Christian Clemente says, he's the steal of the recruiting class.

It's an excellent sign for Auburn's running game that Hunter has come this far in such a short time, especially as Shaun Shivers missed the matchup. Bryan Harsin and Hunter's teammates have praised his work ethic and approach to the game. His preparation showed up, and it's only a matter of time that he gets more and more carries.

"It's really uncommon for freshmen to think like he does," Nick Brahms said on Tuesday.

But he's not going to steal those carries away from Tank Bigsby. The sophomore back put the Tigers' offense on his back in the second half after seeing only eight carries in the first half. He lived up to his name, taking on all contact and often winning the battle. When Bigsby got the ball, the possibility of him taking it to the house was always there. His night ended with 102 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries.

My point, and I do have one, is that Auburn has a duo talented enough to draw comparisons to the illustrious Cadillac Williams-Ronnie Brown backfield that the Tigers deployed in the early part of this century. Are you calling me crazy yet? Fine. I'll accept that. But not since those two were in the orange and navy has Auburn fielded two young game-changing backs.

Here's the good news: they are still underclassmen. So find me another school with two better backs that will for sure be back next season. I'll wait. Done searching? I thought so.

For Auburn's offense to work, Mike Bobo must start to rely on these two along with a dose of Shivers when he returns. With all due respect to Shivers, Hunter brings much more to the table. There's no question that the senior will play a part in the offense when he returns, but how much? That's a problem that Bobo must deal with starting immediately.

The passing-to-rushing ratio ended almost even last night, with the Tigers rushing the ball 40 times and passing it 39. In the future, you'd expect that percentage to lean heavier toward the rush as a three-headed monster led by the uber-talented Bigsby awaits opposing defenses.

We knew what Bigsby was capable of going into Saturday night, and he showed why he's one of the top running backs in the nation. However, it was Hunter, who dazzled in his limited touches, that was a revelation.

Get those two the ball behind a line that shines when it's run-blocking and let them go to work. It's the recipe for success for Auburn's offense.