Auburn has posted easy wins over Akron and Alabama State to start the season and has now moved into the AP top-25 at No. 22.

The Tigers will have the chance to justify that ranking Saturday night, as they head to Happy Valley to face 10th-ranked Penn State.

On Wednesday, first-year Auburn coach Bryan Harsin was asked on the SEC coaches teleconference about the game with Nittany Lions, and he said that containing PSU senior quarterback Sean Clifford would be one of the keys to the game.

The 6-2, 219-pound Clifford has completed 39-of-62 passes for 477 yards and 2 touchdowns this season without throwing an interception.

Clifford is also a threat to run and has more than 800 career rushing yards and 9 TDs on the ground.

“For us, we’ve got to do our job in coverage,” Harsin said. “If the quarterback runs, we’ve got to rally to him. … We have to be able to get to the quarterback, as well. That starts with those guys up front at Penn State, too. They do a good job protecting their QB. … I think you can see his maturity, his confidence in his ability, and his understanding of the system.”

Harsin was also asked about his own quarterback, Bo Nix, and where the junior signal caller has made the biggest strides from his first two years at Auburn.

“I didn’t study and wasn’t around him all last year, so it’s a tough question for me to answer,” Harsin said. “Since I’ve been with him — footwork, mechanics, maturity. … He’s done a good job with, I think he and Coach (Mike) Bobo work well together.”

Auburn’s game with Penn State is set for a 7:30 p.m. EST kickoff and will be televised by ABC.