Well, it seems like we’ve been here before. Just last year, the Tigers opened the season with a couple of nonconference victories. Big ones, 60-pointers, over Akron (60-10) and Alabama State (62-0) to start the Bryan Harsin era.

They were quite impressive at the time, and perhaps necessary for Harsin to begin his tenure on the Plains with a splash. Well, that part of it was accomplished.

Then came reality in the form of Penn State. And although a confident — falsely earned or not — Tigers team gave the Nittany Lions all they wanted up in Happy Valley, they ultimately came out on the short end of a 28-20 final.

Fast forward 1 year later, and here we are again. Off to another 2-0 start to open the season, the Tigers face a Penn State team that will give them somewhat of a measuring stick as to how much the program has grown since they met this time last season. It’ll be the beginning of a comparison between last year’s 2-0 Tigers and this year’s version.

Granted, this year’s first 2 victories weren’t nearly as impressive as the ones that raised the curtain on the 2021 season. But then again, they really didn’t need to be, especially given the set of circumstances. Auburn had dropped 5 consecutive games in a disappointing finish to the 2021 schedule. So to start 2022, the Tigers simply needed a victory. Any kind of a victory would suffice.

Only scoring 42 points at home against Mercer in a 42-16 triumph to open the 2022 campaign? Good enough. Squeaking by San Jose State, 24-16, at Jordan-Hare in the follow-up? Acceptable, but certainly not a particularly impressive tuneup for a nationally ranked team.

While the 2-0 Tigers roared into the White Out at Penn State last year, averaging 61 points in their first 2 games, it’s a much quieter confidence that the 2-0 Tigers take into Jordan-Hare on Saturday when No. 22 Penn State visits. Whether that’s good or bad, we won’t know until Saturday night.

Whether or not Toomer’s Corner gets rolled a 3rd time in a string of 5 consecutive home games to open the 2022 season will largely be determined by what quarterback TJ Finley can produce for his offense. If the Tigers are to extend their 17-game home winning streak against nonconference opponents, a mark that stretches from a 2016 season-opening 19-13 loss to No. 2 Clemson, Finley will have to put up better numbers than he has so far.

Either that, or simply get out of the way and let Tank Bigsby, and the offensive line, take over. Finley ranks 14th in the SEC in passing, averaging 139.5 yards per game. And he’s tied with South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler and Missouri’s Brady Cook for most interceptions thrown (3) this year. Not to mention, he’s also tied for last place in the conference with only 1 touchdown pass so far.

Yeah, it’s ugly, and those numbers probably won’t be sufficient to pull off a victory on Saturday, but that’s not what’s gotten Auburn to 2-0 this season. It’s in the trenches where Auburn has been the better team in each of its first couple of games.

Bigsby ranks 2nd in the SEC with a 99.5-yard average per game, behind only Arkansas’ Rocket Sanders (136.5). On the other side of the football, the Tigers have given up the fewest total rushing yards (128) in the conference over the first 2 games.

That looks to be the identity of the team: a strong rushing attack and a solid defense against the run.

That’s not breaking news, and Finley still has to do his part even if that means just managing the game and not committing turnovers. He hasn’t done that so far, throwing a pair of picks in the opener and tossing another interception last Saturday.

His development will go a long way in determining a winner on Saturday, and in how the Auburn season progresses from here; also, not breaking news.

And don’t discount the home-field advantage, either. It’s big, and it could very well wind up being the determining factor on Saturday. It certainly played a key role in last year’s meeting.

So while the Tigers have started 2022 just like they did 2021, the opportunity is there before them to change the trend and begin to improve upon last year’s 6-7 record.