| Alabama vs. Auburn
GAME: Auburn at Alabama
TIME: 03:30 P.M. EST
VENUE: Bryant-Denny Stadium
Auburn had its national title hopes ended in stunning fashion last week. A fifth straight victory over Alabama in the Iron Bowl on Saturday might help ease the sting for the Tigers.
The No. 15 Tigers (9-2, 5-2 SEC) try to bounce back from a home loss to Georgia when they travel to Alabama (6-5, 2-5) looking to continue their recent domination of one of college football's most storied rivalries.
Auburn entered last week's game as a nearly two-touchdown favorite and was among a handful of one-loss teams trying to play into a BCS title shot. Georgia, suffering through a four-loss season, quickly put an end to those hopes, resoundingly defeating the Tigers 37-15.
The loss dropped Auburn 10 spots in the Top 25, and also all but erased its hopes of winning the SEC championship.
"Next week is going to be a new game," offensive lineman Ben Grubbs said. "We need to bounce back, come out ready to play, just like we did in the Florida game."
The Tigers rebounded from their other loss, 27-10 to Arkansas on Oct. 7, with a 27-17 victory over then-No. 2 and previously unbeaten Florida the following week.
For Auburn to get back on track, it will need a better performance out of Brandon Cox. The junior quarterback threw a season-high four interceptions against Georgia, his highest total since he had four in his debut as a starter in a season-opening 23-14 loss to Georgia Tech in 2005.
"This one was worse than Georgia Tech, but you can compare it a lot to that one," said Cox, who has 13 interceptions in 21 games since then.
Cox was 4-of-12 for a career-low 35 yards against the Bulldogs.
Cox, who still boasts a 140.8 passer rating, will be looking to rebound against an Alabama pass defense that ranks fourth in the SEC at 172.8 yards per game. The key for Auburn, though, could be the ground attack. The Tigers are averaging 157.8 rushing yards per game, and the Crimson Tide are allowing 117.2 per contest - fifth in the SEC.
Top running back Kenny Irons averages 81.8 yards, but also struggled against Georgia. He gained a season-low 49 yards on 10 carries, and does not have a touchdown since running for two against South Carolina on Sept. 28.
"Kenny's been up and down," Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said. "He has been fighting different battles."
The senior has played through several leg injuries this season, including a bruised right fibula and sprained right ankle that limited him to one series against Arkansas State on Nov. 4.
Auburn also has work to do on the defensive side if its wants to improve to 6-0 at Tuscaloosa. The Tigers came in to last week's contest holding opponents to 276 yards per game, but gave up a season-high 446 total yards. They surrendered their highest point total since giving up 38 to Arkansas in 2002.
While the Tigers looked bad in a critical game last week, Alabama wasn't much better. The Tide fell 28-14 at then-No. 12 LSU for their third loss in four contests, giving up season highs of 418 total yards and 211 yards on the ground.
"We came in expecting to play a lot better than we did," linebacker Juwan Simpson said. "We just wanted to stay in the game and give our offense a chance to come back and win."
John Parker Wilson was 22-of-35 for a career-high 291 yards and two touchdowns, but threw a pass that was tipped and intercepted at the LSU 12-yard line in the third quarter as the Tide were trying to cut the deficit to seven points.
D.J. Hall caught eight passes for 142 yards, but top running back Kenneth Darby ran for only 36 yards on 13 carries for Alabama.
Auburn will be trying to win five in a row over Alabama for the first time since 1954-58. The Tide lead the series 38-31-1. |