Kalen DeBoer and Hugh Freeze have discovered how hard it is to win in the Southeastern Conference these days.
Now, they can try to beat each other.
DeBoer caps his first regular season with the 13th-ranked Crimson Tide (8-3, 4-3 SEC. No. 13 CFP) Saturday against Freeze's Auburn Tigers, with the team's league championship hopes dashed and playoff chances damaged but alive. Both teams have failed to meet fans' expectations but statewide bragging rights remain up for grabs.
That's not nothing in a state where the Iron Bowl is a year-round topic.
“Ever since I’ve been here, I think I hear about it every day,” DeBoer said. “So (I) understand what it means.”
In Year 1 AS (After Saban), Alabama is at risk of failing to reach double digit victories for the first time since Nick Saban's debut season in 2007. Barring upsets elsewhere, the Tide may well be playing in just their seventh regular season game of the last 202 without national championship implications, along with the last three games in 2010 and 2022.
Auburn (5-6, 2-5) must win to become bowl eligible and avoid a fourth straight losing season. But the Tigers are coming off a four-overtime win over No. 20 Texas A&M. Alabama was embarrassed 24-3 at Oklahoma.
Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne gets his second chance in the Iron Bowl, which he calls "the biggest rivalry game in college football."
“The fans really don’t like each other one bit,” the Michigan State transfer said. “I learned in this state that growing up that’s how you choose your friends. You ask, ‘Are you Alabama or are you Auburn?’"
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe found Isaiah Bond (now at Texas) for a last-minute touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 31 to salvage a 27-24 victory. The Tide went on to win the SEC title and make the playoffs.
“There’s no bigger game on the schedule,” said Freeze, who was coaching in his first Iron Bowl. “To sit in this seat and lose one like we did last year, it still doesn’t sit right. And I know that the Auburn faithful have had to endure that, and we want to change that feeling in this building, for our fan base and this state.”
It will be the final game at Bryant-Denny Stadium for Milroe. It could be the last college game for Thorne.
Milroe is seeking redemption after getting thoroughly shut down in a loss to Oklahoma, while Thorne is coming off strong outings in wins over Louisiana-Monroe and No. 20 Texas A&M. Both have had roller coaster seasons, but Milroe was at his best in games like Georgia and LSU.
“I don’t know him personally but everything you see, he’s made of the right stuff,” Freeze said. "And he competes at a high, high level in some of the biggest games and I would think he would be determined to bounce back. I think we’ve got to plan to get his best.
“I feel confident that 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.”
Alabama's Ryan Williams and Auburn's Cam Coleman have shown why they were two of the nation's top wide receiver recruits. Williams became an instant sensation with a freshman season highlighted by a 177-yard, two-touchdown game against Georgia with a 75-yarder that proved the game-winner. He has 42 catches for 804 yards and eight touchdowns.
Coleman has 520 yards and seven TDs on 30 catches. He has 15 catches for 228 yads and five touchdowns in the last two games.
Alabama is turning to Justin Jefferson to replace linebacker Deontae Lawson, who was lost for the season in the Oklahoma game. Jefferson has 45 tackles, including five for a loss, and two sacks.
“Justin can run. Justin’s physical,” DeBoer said. “He’s a guy you can count on. He’s really trustworthy.”
This rivalry has featured great running backs from Auburn's Bo Jackson and Carnell Williams to Alabama's Derrick Henry and Najee Harris.
The Tigers' Jarquez Hunter is one of the SEC's top backs with 1,174 yards and eight touchdowns. Alabama's duo of Justice Haynes and Jam Miller have combined for 985 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.
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