Gary Danielson joined CBS Sports HQ on Wednesday to preview this year’s Iron Bowl. He identified a key player for Auburn’s upset bid and who has the advantage in the run game for this matchup.

“When Auburn plays the best, Jarquez Hunter the running back, he keeps any defense honest,” Danielson said. “If he can keep Alabama from staying back and playing soft, that gives Auburn an opportunity to do what they wanna do. That’s the guy right there, he needs to play well. He needs to be a threat the whole game cause then Hugh Freeze can get his tempo game going. Payton Thorne, when he gets a little help from the running game, he seems to be a pretty efficient quarterback.”

Danielson also talked about who he thinks has the advantage in the running game on Saturday.

“Alabama has the edge in most areas, except for the fact that it is a rivalry game and it’s gonna be played at home. Auburn can’t have this being a one-armed fight. They need both the running game and the passing game. They need to keep this Alabama defense off balance.”

Hunter, a junior, has been key to the Tigers offense all season, racking up 772 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns on 132 carries. Hunter has also added 16 receptions for 111 yards as well. In the 2022 edition of the Iron Bowl Hunter had success on the ground running for 134 yards on 11 carries, and he added 3 receptions for 15 yards in the passing game.

Auburn hosts Alabama this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.