No. 8 Alabama and Auburn will resume their fierce annual intrastate Iron Bowl rivalry on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Crimson Tide remained undefeated in the SEC regular season and will head into the SEC Championship Game with a chance to win. Participate in the College Football Playoff. With Alabama having one loss and a non-conference loss to Texas on its resume, sending Auburn to the Tide in the Iron Bowl is paramount to earning style points for consideration by the selection committee.
Meanwhile, Auburn is coming off one of its most embarrassing losses in modern times. The Tigers lost 31-10 at home to New Mexico State last weekend, dropping their record to 6-5 and likely falling to a lower-tier bowl. Manager Hugh Freeze has had a rollercoaster debut season in the Plains, so finishing on a high with the Tigers’ upset of their in-state rivals will go a long way toward calming a disappointed fan base.
What should you expect on Saturday afternoon? Break down rivalries and pick straight up against the spread.
Auburn vs. Alabama: What you need to know
Jalen Milroe is hot: It was interesting to watch Milroe develop in his first season as the starting quarterback. Since coming off the bench against South Florida in Week 3, he has steadily developed into one of the nation’s top signal callers. Milroe has thrown only three interceptions since the beginning of October, but has scored 13 touchdowns since the beginning of November and ranks second in the nation in yards per attempt (10.6) (LSU’s Jaden・He is tied for second place (behind Daniels). Conference in rushing touchdowns (12).
“I think he’s been pretty effective in choosing when to get in the pocket, when to run, when he has an opportunity to make plays and when he doesn’t,” coach Nick Saban said Monday. “But I think what he’s developed is the ability to look downfield and make plays in the passing game, even when the pocket is broken, when we were playing perimeter plays with reads. “I think he’s been an effective runner for us because he gets to the perimeter. I think both of those things help us overall offensively in terms of what the defense has to protect.”
Offensive coordinator Tommy Reese, who was named a Broyles Award semifinalist, did a great job of working with Milroe and highlighting his strengths as the season progressed. Their marriage transformed the Alabama offense from a liability to one of the most dangerous units in the game.
How will Auburn feel? All seemed right in the world after Auburn went to Arkansas and dominated the Razorbacks 48-10 on Nov. 11, but last week’s crushing loss to New Mexico State put a dent in that momentum. I stood up and stopped. Where are the heads of Auburn players and coaches? It’s easy to say they’ve moved on, but actually doing it is a much different thing, especially for a young man from when he was 18 to when he was 22.
Freeze knows this is one of the most important aspects of game week preparation for the Tide.
“Now we have to quickly turn the page and forget about it, because we all know what the Iron Bowl means to so many people. “If I perform well in that situation, I can adjust my emotions a lot,” he said on Monday.
Did Auburn ignore New Mexico State last week and spend more time preparing for Alabama? That would go some way to explaining last week’s loss. We’ll find out when they come out of the tunnel on Saturday afternoon at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Ground and Pound: Starting quarterback Peyton Thorne has been far from a difference-maker in his first season since transferring from Michigan State, so it’s unlikely that Alabama will find any threat in Auburn’s passing game. But Auburn’s running game, while necessarily one-dimensional, was still able to find success despite the defense’s emphasis on it all season. He ranks third in the SEC in rushing offense with 194.27 yards per game, and running back Halquez Hunter has topped the 100-yard mark on the ground in three of Auburn’s last four games. are doing.
“Nobody runs too much defensively,” Freese said. “We’re going to come up with a good plan. The backs are good, the tight ends are good, the O-line is competitive, but we need to establish the run game. It’s not fun if we have to go backwards. “Throw every down. That’s not going to work. For them, No. 15 (Dallas Turner) and No. 41 (Chris Braswell) off the edge are both really, really great. We want to stay balanced and give them respect. You have to pay.” Run the game. ”
The Crimson Tide’s rushing defense has held the team to less than four yards per play in five of the past six games. If they can shut down Auburn’s rushing attack, Thorn and the Tigers are unlikely to survive this matchup.
How to watch Auburn vs. Alabama live
date: November 25th (Sat) | time: 3:30 PM ET
position: Jordan Hare Stadium — Auburn, Alabama
tv set: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free)
Streaming Paramount+ with Showtime (Try it for free)
Auburn vs. Alabama predictions, picks
Odds from SportsLine Consensus
Strange things happen at Jordan-Hare Stadium, including when the Tigers shocked the Crimson Tide in the Kick-Six a decade ago. But Auburn couldn’t find that magic last week against the Aggies and likely won’t find it again this week against the Crimson Tide. The stingy Tide defense stifled Auburn’s rushing attack, creating gaps in the Tigers’ backfield and forcing Thorne to make many game-changing mistakes. Even if this game was a close one or two quarter for him, the Tide would turn the game sideways en route to easy coverage in the second half. Pick: Alabama -14.5
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