The Iron Bowl is days away, and the matchup between No. 1 Alabama and No. 6 Auburn should be one of the better games in the history of the rivalry. Certainly the stakes are extreme, with an SEC Championship Game and Playoff berth on the line.

It’s fun to look back on past Iron Bowls to see who rose to the occasion and put up a dominant performance (hello, Cam Newton), but who were some of the guys who were able to string together more than one strong performance against their instate rival?

Here’s our list of players who didn’t just have one dominant game, but instead proved to be lights out every time they took the field in the Iron Bowl.

5. Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama (2007-09)

McClain’s off the field issues caught up with him in the NFL, but people forget that he was an absolute force at the Capstone. At 6-4, 255 pounds, McClain was built more like a defensive end, but his athleticism allowed him to man the middle of Nick Saban’s 3-4 defense.

The Decatur, Ala., native had 274 tackles in his 3-year college career, and over 10 percent of those (30) came against Auburn.

  • 2007: 15 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PD
  • 2008: 3 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 FR
  • 2009: 12 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 sack

That 15-tackle performance in 2007 is tied for the most in a single game under Saban. McClain is actually tied himself, as he also had 15 tackles against Tulane in 2008.

Those stats could’ve been even more impressive, but the 36-0 blowout in 2008 meant McClain watched most of the fourth quarter from the sidelines.

4. Quentin Groves, DE, Auburn (2005-07)

Everyone remembers Stanley McClover’s 3.5-sack performance against Alabama in 2005, but Groves had 1.5 sacks in that game. He then proceeded to make Alabama quarterback’s lives miserable for the next two seasons.

Overall, Groves had 12 tackles (3.5 for loss), 3.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in his three games against the Tide — making him impossible to leave off this list.

After leaving Auburn tied for the school’s most career sacks (26), Groves was drafted in the second round by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2008, and Alabama fans were certainly happy to see him leave.

Unfortunately, he passed away on Oct 15, 2016 due to a heart attack.

3. Nick Marshall, QB, Auburn (2013-14)

If you were to ask Saban who was the hardest player to scheme against in his coaching career, Nick Marshall likely would be near the top of that list.

Marshall found his way into being Auburn’s quarterback after starting his career as a cornerback at Georgia, and he was a lot of fun to watch during his 2-year stretch leading the Tigers.

He walked away with a 1-1 record against Alabama, and his numbers in the process were impressive to say the least.

He finished with 701 yards (553 passing, 148 rushing) and 6 touchdowns (5 passing, 1 rushing) against the Tide. The only two quarterbacks to finish with more were Deshaun Watson (941 total yards, 8 touchdowns) and Johnny Manziel (907 total yards, 7 touchdowns).

2. AJ McCarron, QB, Alabama (2010-13)

McCarron’s first Iron Bowl appearance was actually in 2010 after he replaced Greg McElroy late in the game. He finished that game without completing any of his four passing attempts.

The next three years were a different story, however.

McCarron beat Auburn in two of his three seasons as the starter. Check out these stat lines:

  • 2011: 18-for-23 (78.3 percent), 184 passing yards, 3 touchdowns
  • 2012: 15-for-21 (71.4 percent), 216 passing yards, 4 touchdowns
  • 2013: 17-for-29 (58.6 percent), 277 passing yards, 3 touchdowns

The fact that he didn’t throw a single interception against the Tigers is pretty remarkable, especially when you consider that he finished his career 50-for-73 (68.5 percent) for 677 yards through the air and 10 touchdowns.

1. Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama (2012-14)

Someone had to be on the receiving end of McCarron’s impressive numbers, but Cooper’s dominance against Auburn was actually split between two quarterbacks (McCarron and Blake Sims) — which shows just how spectacular Cooper’s performances were.

  • 2012: 5 receptions, 109 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns
  • 2013: 6 receptions, 178 receiving yards, 1 touchdown
  • 2014: 13 receptions, 224 yards, 3 touchdowns

Finishing with 109 yards and two touchdowns against your team’s biggest rival — especially as a true freshman — is phenomenal, but Cooper surprisingly got better in each of his following performances against the Tigers.

With his average performance in the Iron Bowl standing at eight receptions for 170.3 yards and two touchdowns, Cooper left us no other choice but to give him the title as the best Iron Bowl performer — at least since the year 2000.