Iron Bowl 2007

Since I will be taking the rest of the week off, we are going to hit a few items early this week. So, how about a little Iron Bowl Preview?

First, I’m not going to talk about the Nick Saban 9/11 press conference. Saban should have known better and the rest of us just need to grow up and quit being so damn sensitive about every little thing. I mean for the media types to get their panties in a wad when Saban compares losing to ULM to 9/11 and Pearl Harbor, but not when President Bush is called a Nazi really tells me that we can’t have a serious discussion in the country any longer. So, no the Nick Saban thing isn’t worth my time….there’s football to be played.

I have to honestly say this is the strangest Iron Bowl week I have been through. I don’t know if it’s because both teams are coming in off a loss and neither side really feels that confident, if it’s the bye week, or if it’s because Thanksgiving is tomorrow, but it just doesn’t feel like the Iron Bowl is Saturday. Maybe that changes once all the leftovers have hit the fridge tomorrow night and I can get focused on the game. Hopefully, my attitude isn’t what the team is experiencing. My guess is likely not, but you never know.

So what are the keys….

When Auburn has the ball……

No mistakes. Yeah, pretty evident. Brandon Cox has to be the solid performer that he normally is against Alabama. The running backs can’t just toss the ball to the Crimson Tide like it’s a radioactive hot potato. Look at the statistics, when Auburn holds on the football, plays solid clock controlling offense it wins. When there are turnovers, sloppy play, and a lot of three and outs, well you get Mississippi State, South Florida, and Georgia.

Davis, Tate, Lester, Stewart, and Fannin, oh my. Those names should be called a lot on Saturday. It is quite evident that the quarterback and wideouts can’t get on the same page. Regardless of who is to blame, Auburn’s strength on offense lies with the running backs. The goal for Al Borges is to figure out how to get these guys productive. Sure Lester is the go-to-guy, but all of them have strengths that need to be used to their fullest potential.

Stay outside of 7. Alabama hasn’t shown much ability to consistently drive the football down the field and score. They live and die by the big play. They will hit one or two on Saturday and that’s why it is important for Auburn to be ahead by a touchdown at all times. This means scoring touchdowns inside the red zone and controlling the clock.

When Alabama has the ball….

Limit big plays. See #3 above. Muschamp must stress to the defensive backs to be prepared to run. It would be nice if some of them would actually turn around and you know get an interception every once in awhile.

Pressure the quarterback. If Auburn allows Wilson to sit back there and pick them apart or throw long bombs down the field, the game will be over in a hurry. Groves, Coleman, and Carter need to be in the backfield. Keeping good contain and not overrunning things are key, but when they get Alabama in long yardage, they need to be getting to quarterback.

Be the difference. A big play on defense, an interception return or fumble return, will be huge in this game, particularly if it is deep in either team’s territory. Scoring will be at a premium and these types of plays will be crucial.

Intangibles….

Kickoff coverage. The kickoff coverage was one bright spot from the Georgia game. There were actual kicks going down near the goal line. Obviously, if Javier Arenas can’t go, that would be big. A return guy like that would have shredded Auburn.

Get up big, early. If Auburn jumps out to a 10 or 14 point lead, that could get Alabama to quit. Clearly, there are certain corners of this Alabama team that have had their fill with Nick Saban. I’ll go on record that some of those players will be on the field on Saturday. Facing a 14 point deficit might seem too high a mountain to climb especially for what they perceive to be an egotistical jerk.

There you have it, the keys to the game. So what will happen? I have a feeling that Auburn limits mistakes and big plays, gets out to a 10 point lead and tries to coast. Alabama scores late to make it interesting and the defense comes up big at the end. Hey that sounds like a typical Iron Bowl. War Eagle and Happy Thanksgiving.