Tide looking to flatten Auburn on way to postseason
No. 1 Alabama has one big piece of business to take care of in the regular season — Auburn in the Iron Bowl this Saturday — before hitting the SEC title game and, presumably, the College Football Playoff.
In the preseason, Alabama-Auburn looked like perhaps the biggest game of the entire college football season — a great rivalry matching top 10 teams with the SEC West at stake. But while Alabama (11-0, 7-0) has maintained its Nick Saban-level of greatness, the Tigers (7-4, 3-4) haven’t held up their end of the bargain.
Not that Alabama needs it, but there is the matter of last season’s result — Auburn 26, Alabama 14 — to chew on this week.
“I think the players all know what happened last year,” Saban said.
“I think they don’t feel great about it. They’ve had to live with it for 365 days. I don’t necessarily think that the revenge factor is the best form of motivation out there, but I think it certainly plays into a guy that’s a good competitor who wants to come back and do well if he didn’t perform well the last time he played someone.
“I don’t think this is any different in this case, but I do feel there are a lot of other things that are factors that this team can accomplish this year relative to how they finish the season, regardless of who they have to play.”
One guy Auburn will have to deal with that it didn’t have to last season is Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The sophomore might have company in the Heisman race in Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, but he’s still the frontrunner, despite dealing with a sprained knee, originally suffered Oct. 6 against Arkansas.
His 31 touchdown passes this season are an Alabama single-season record. AJ McCarron held the record of 30, set in 2012.
“He’s made a lot of good throws. He’s made a lot of explosive plays,” Saban said of Tagovailoa.
“I think it’s going to be important we continue to do that because we’re going to play against better defenses. And when we play against better defenses we need to be just as productive in terms of our ability to run the ball, have balance on offense and to make explosive plays.”
