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The Auburn Tigers take on the No. 18 Wisconsin Badgers in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1 in Tampa.
Let’s take a look inside the numbers of Auburn’s bowl matchup with Wisconsin.
The Good
2: Auburn has won two of its last three Outback Bowl appearances, the last win coming on New Year’s Day 2010. The Tigers have the upper hand as Wisconsin is without a head coach and staff changes could be on the horizon. Athletic director Jay Jacobs and head coach Gus Malzahn have expressed their happiness to have been selected by the Outback Bowl, and Auburn hopes it can make it three of four in Tampa.
66: Auburn’s win percentage in bowl games against current Big Ten teams. The Tigers are 11-7-2 all-time against current members of the Big Ten, with an 8-4 mark in bowl games. Auburn is the more tested team, with 10 of its 11 regular-season FBS opponents being bowl eligible this season.
6: Cameron Artis-Payne extended Auburn’s streak of 1,000-yard rushers to six this season with his SEC-best campaign. His 1,482 yards have been crucial for the Tigers, adding balance to an offense that used the arm of quarterback Nick Marshall more. Auburn can break some big plays against the Badgers, but Artis-Payne must establish the run early.
The Bad
231: The number of points the Auburn defense allowed during its last six SEC games of the season. It was a program-worst stretch as Auburn allowed at least 31 points in each contest. The Badgers boast the best running back in the country, but are somewhat one-dimensional on offense. The Tigers must slow Melvin Gordon and not allow chunk yardage.
14: The margin of defeat the last time Auburn faced Wisconsin. Barry Alvarez’s Badgers earned a 24-10 win in the 2006 Capital One Bowl. Alvarez will return to the sidelines on New Year’s Day to try to earn his second win against the Tigers.
314: Wisconsin boasts the country’s fourth-ranked rushing offense, averaging an eye-popping 314.0 yards per game. Gordon spearheads the Badgers’ run game, having notched 150 yards or more in his last four regular-season games, highlighted by two 200-yard outings and a 408-yard effort.
After living in Birmingham, Ala., Jordan left the ground zero of SEC Nation to head south to Florida to tell the unique stories of the renowned tradition of SEC football. In his free time, his mission is to find the best locales around.
