The 89th edition of the Iron Bowl will look a little different this year, considering the legendary Nick Saban will start his morning off on the set of "College Gameday" instead of in preparation for one of the biggest rivalries in college football.
“I have on my list to call him and make sure he’s out of town,” said Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze jokingly. “Obviously, Nick, he's a friend of mine, but also I love competing against him because he's arguably the best that's done it. And I know a lot of people say, ‘Well he always had good rosters.’ Well, that's part of being a good coach, is you go get good rosters. And he was always very good at that. And it's different, for sure.”
It’s always a whirlwind of a game, especially in Jordan-Hare Stadium, considering the last two Iron Bowls that took place there were two of the most exhilarating matchups in the rivalry’s recent history. Of course, last year’s matchup closed with the historic “4th and 31” that still lingers in the minds of Freeze and Tiger fans alike.
“There's no bigger game on the schedule,” Freeze said. “To sit in this seat and to lose one like we did last year still doesn't sit right, and I know that the Auburn faithful have had to endure that. We want to change that feeling in this building and for our great fan base in this state. And you know, that's a tall task. Their roster is deeper, but it was deeper last year too, and we had a shot to win it.”
The rivalry always brings a grueling challenge, for both teams alike, and this year is no different. The Crimson Tide, coming off a blowout loss to Oklahoma on Saturday, still present Auburn with one of its toughest challenges of the season boasting playmakers all over the field. It starts with Jalen Milore, arguably the most dynamic quarterback in the country.
“He competes at a high, high level in some of the biggest games,” Freeze said of Milroe. “And I would think he'd be determined to bounce back, so I think we've got to plan to get his best. I feel confident they'll use him as a runner. That's when they've been the most dangerous. And we've got to have a plan for that.”
Add to that a familiar foe in the dynamic freshman Ryan Williams who leads the pack out wide for the Tide, and you get an offense that is capable of breaking the game open at any given moment.
“They've got three guys that I think are all really, really legit SEC receivers. And of course, Ryan is a kid we recruited really hard, and we know how talented he is also. I mean, the message is the same, we've got to do our assignment on every play and forget the last one,” Freeze said.
For Auburn, it’s been the same story week after week this season: not finding a way to win a close game down the stretch. The Tigers blew fourth quarter leads to Oklahoma and Missouri, while having a fighting chance in every loss they’ve endured.
But after getting over the hump on Saturday against No. 15 Texas A&M and seeing their resilience pay off in the end, the Tigers now have hope. With an appearance for a bowl game still hanging in the balance, Auburn believes it can compete with anyone on the opposing side of the field.
“You have zero chance of winning if you don't have a belief that you can do it,” Freeze said. “And I think somewhere along the line, in these difficult losses, we've started believing more. Hope has become a real thing that you can go on the field and beat good football teams. You've played close games with them, but you can win them. And it's going to take an amount of that belief going into Tuscaloosa to win.”
With the Tigers fighting for bowl eligibility while trying to avoid its fourth straight losing season and aiming to hand the Crimson Tide their first four-loss season since the Saban era began, this weekend's matchup is set to be yet another thriller of an Iron Bowl.
"We're coming here to win this game," said Auburn freshman linebacker Demarcus Riddick. "We ain't nothing to play with. I mean, yeah we ain't have the season we wanted to, but this game right here means something to us.
"Bama is a big-rival team. Every rival team I have ever played, I never lost to. And I will not lose to Bama while I'm here," he later added.
Kickoff for Saturday is set for 2:30 p.m. CT and will air on ABC.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email logan.fowler@1819News.com.
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