The offseason build up of being a final piece of a championship puzzle was meant for games like this for quarterback Jarrett Stidham.

One of the best passers in the SEC, the Auburn signal caller has completed 67.8 percent of his passes for 2,445 yards and 16 touchdowns. He has four interceptions. But none of those numbers will be remembered as much this season as his performance on Saturday.

Stidham and the 9-2 Tigers are looking to pull the home upset against undefeated Alabama and clinch a spot in the SEC Championship. There’s more than enough on the line, and that’s just fine with the third-year sophomore.

“This is exactly why I came here,” he said Tuesday.

Stidham not only has to prove himself in a game on this stage, he hopes to justify Auburn’s recruitment of him despite starting three games at Baylor. And he would prove that Gus Malzahn can beat Nick Saban without a dual-threat quarterback like Nick Marshall or Cam Newton.