Georgia State (1-3) at No. 23 Auburn (2-1), Saturday at 4 p.m. EDT (SEC Network).
Line: Auburn by 27 ½, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: First meeting.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Auburn is trying to bounce back from its first defeat under coach Bryan Harsin, 28-20 at No. 6 Penn State. After this, the Tigers open Southeastern Conference play at LSU. Georgia State wants to build on its first win of the season, 20-9 over a previously unbeaten Charlotte that has a win over Duke.
KEY MATCHUP
Auburn didn’t muster much of a pass rush against Penn State, but does have the nation’s No. 3 rushing defense. The Tigers are allowing 45.7 yards per game on the ground. The Panthers counter with an offense that ran for 298 yards — seventh most in program history — against Charlotte with four players topping 60 yards.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Georgia State: LB Blake Carroll is coming off a huge game against Charlotte. Carroll had nine tackles, a sack and a pass breakup. He also forced a fumble at Georgia State’s 13 to help the Panthers preserve a 13-9 lead late in the third quarter.
Auburn: RB Tank Bigsby has opened the season with three straight 100-yard rushing games. The physical, hard-to-bring down Bigsby is averaging an SEC-best 7.3 yards per carry. Shaun Shivers could rejoin Bigsby and freshman Jarquez Hunter in the backfield after missing the past two games for undisclosed reasons.
FACTS & FIGURES
Auburn is 22-0 all-time against current members of the Sun Belt Conference, with every game played at home. … The Tigers have won their last 29 homecoming games. … Auburn kicker Anders Carlson has made 12 consecutive field goals, a career-best and the fourth largest current streak in FBS. … The Panthers allowed just 276 total yards against Charlotte, the program’s seventh-best single-game performance and the fewest yards allowed since 2018 (262 yards against Louisiana-Monroe). … Georgia State hasn’t played an SEC team since beating Tennessee 38-30 in the 2019 season opener. It was the program’s first win over a Power Five team.
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