Here lately, the annual Alabama-Auburn game, or the Iron Bowl as it is known, usually has SEC West, the Southeastern Conference or national title implications on the line and this year’s showdown is a perfect example of just that.
This year’s contest will decide the SEC West championship for either Alabama or Mississippi State. An Auburn win would put the Bulldogs in Atlanta and quite possibly the College Football championship assuming they beat Ole Miss. An Alabama win would put Nick Saban’s team in the SEC Championship Game and more than likely the College Football Playoff if it can get past the East champ (either Missouri or Georgia) in the Georgia Dome.
Then, of course, there are the annual bragging rights in the state of Alabama for 365 days, and that’s no small issue.
“I think the Iron Bowl is one of the greatest rivalries in college football,” Saban said. “This game means a lot to a lot of people in this state, regardless of which side you’re on, and also around the country. As a competitor, it’s a great opportunity because this game has had a lot of significance over the past few years and it’s certainly no different last year or this year.
“It will be a great atmosphere, ESPN, night game here; Bryant-Denny Stadium has been great. I also think this is a game where you have to stay focused on the game and not all the things that go on around it. This game requires a tremendous amount of discipline, focus, and preparation to go out there and play the type of football game that you want to play. You can’t really be concerned about all those other things and be able to do that. The focus needs to be on `what do I need to do to go out there and do my job well.”
“It’s no secret how big of a game this is for us — the tradition, the whole community. It’s just big for us to come in and prepare like we are supposed to, to come out and put a good effort on the field.”
Auburn will come into the game with a revitalized defense, one which Tiger coach Gus Malzahn believes can be a key.
“Making (Alabama quarterback Blake Sims) him uncomfortable will definitely be a key to the game,” Malzahn said. The Tigers’ coach said his team plans to do that “by mixing things up with pressure.” But there’s nothing better than a good pass rush.
“They’ve opened things up. They are not as traditional as they once were,” Auburn’s coach added. “You can’t be one-dimensional against their defense. We’re going to have to try to be balanced.”
“Gus [Malzahn] has done a fantastic job last year and this year,” Saban said. “They have lots of returning starters, nine on offense and six on defense. I think that their offense is one of the most productive in the country and certainly in our league. They have a very good scheme. Their quarterback Nick Marshall does a fantastic job of executing on the field. They have a lot of weapons offensively.
“They have a couple of really good, explosive, big wide receivers that are great vertical receivers, [Sammy] Coates and Duke [D’haquille] Williams (although Williams is injured and will be a game-time decision). [They have] a very good running back who leads the SEC in rushing. [Their] offensive line does a really good job and they have lots of speed on the perimeter with a lot of rocket sweeps and things that they do. They very, very challenging to defend in the way the play offense and the way they execute offense. Their fast pace is certainly something that we’ve played a lot against this year and hopefully it’s something that we’ll be able to adapt to in the game very well.
Saban added: “Defensively, they are very athletic up front, are very active, create a lot of negative plays, and have been able to create a lot of turnovers with their defense. They play great in the red zone and have been really hard to score on, so I think this is a very good defensive team. They always do a great job on special teams, but Quan Bray is one of the outstanding return guys in the country, so it’s going to be important to play well on special teams.
“This is a very, very good team and this is a great rivalry game. Certainly, as a competitor, you really enjoy playing in games like this against very, very good teams and a lot of good players with personal things. There is a lot of guys that they probably know and played against in high school and maybe even played with. It’s a great game.”
The players know everything that is on the line in this year’s game and they feel it.
“It will be a great game going to a big environment because it’s the Iron Bowl,” Marshall said.