Auburn brings emotion into Iron Bowl tilt with Bama
There’s a lot on the line for Alabama heading into this weekend’s Iron Bowl matchup with archrival Auburn.
Just because the Tigers have had a disappointing season to date doesn’t mean Auburn won’t be throwing everything it has at the Crimson Tide.
The Tigers are looking at a situation where a 7-5 regular season with a season-spoiling victory over Alabama is much more palatable to everyone who cries War Eagle than finishing 6-6 and limping into a minor bowl. A victory against the Tide wouldn’t salvage a season in which many thought Auburn might be a national title contender, but it would improve the offseason.
Auburn has averaged a respectable 28.5 points per game, but generating that much offense against an Alabama defense that seems to get better each week will be a challenge. Playing into the Tigers’ favor is the fact they are relatively balanced between the run and the pass. Several teams have tried to rely on the run against the Tide with disastrous results.
But Auburn has a quarterback in Jeremy Johnson who poses the kind of dual threat that has historically given Alabama trouble, though it should be noted the Tide was able to keep Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott in check. As much as this game serves as a shot at redemption for the Auburn team as a whole, it goes doubly so for Johnson.
The Tigers signal caller began the season as a trendy Heisman Trophy pick, but got off to a terrible start, briefly losing his starting job in the middle of the season. The past three games, however, have been much closer to what everyone expected out of the junior from Montgomery.
Six of Johnson’s seven interceptions came in the first three games of the season. In the last three Johnson has completed 40 of 58 passes for 356 yards and three touchdowns. The raw numbers don’t jump off the page, but the efficiency and lack of mistakes has helped Auburn win two of the last three and get to six wins when a bowl game didn’t seem likely midway through the season.
Johnson also has the ability to make plays with his feet and while the Tigers aren’t drawing up a huge number of designed runs for the quarterback, the fact he can scramble adds an element the Tide must be prepared for.
But perhaps the biggest weapon in Auburn’s arsenal is emotion. The Iron Bowl is one of the nation’s best and most bitter rivalries and playing spoiler to a potential playoff berth for the Crimson Tide is enough to have Jordan-Hare Stadium rocking. In essence, all the pressure is on Alabama, which makes it a dangerous situation for the Tide considering that if Auburn plays to the level we all thought it was capable of at the beginning of the season it will be a tough game for Nick Saban’s team.
AUBURN TIGERS, A CLOSER LOOK
Best Offensive Player: Peyton Barber, So. RB — Can Barber, who has rushed for 947 yards and 13 touchdowns, do any better than the long list of star running backs who have lined up against Alabama only to be shut down? It will certainly be a challenge. Barber has had a fantastic sophomore season and might be considered a great bet to surpass the 1,000-yard mark this week if Auburn was playing any other opponent. But he’s going against a defense that shut down Leonard Fournette, Nick Chubb, Tra Carson, Alex Collins and every other running back it has seen. If Barber can change that pattern then Auburn may have a decent shot.
Best Defensive Player: Jonathan Ford, Jr. DB — Ford is the Tigers’ leading tackler with 104 stops and does a little bit of everything for Auburn. He’s got two tackles for a loss, including a sack and also leads the team with two interceptions returned for a total of 48 yards and a touchdown. He’s also broken up two other passes and forced two fumbles. If Auburn has a chance it has to win the turnover battle and Ford could help it do that.
Best Special Teams Player: Daniel Carlson, So. PK — Carlson has missed a couple of short field goals this season, but otherwise has been excellent for the Tigers. He’s a perfect 35 of 35 on extra points and 20 of 23 on field goals. That includes 10 of 10 on kicks between 30-49 yards and he has a long of 56, so he can be a weapon for the Tigers.