The Alabama Crimson Tide travel to Jordan-Hare Stadium to face the Auburn Tigers in the Iron Bowl Saturday afternoon. The Crimson Tide can secure a spot in the SEC championship game with a win over the Tigers Saturday, and head coach Nick Saban is looking for his seventh 11-plus win season in Tuscaloosa. Auburn's season has been a disappointment, and they are coming in to Saturday's game in last place in the SEC West. Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn and Tigers fans would like nothing more than to end their regular season with a win over the Crimson Tide on their field.
Saban will need quarterback Jake Coker to continue to play well, as he is the leader for the Crimson Tide offense. The Alabama senior quarterback has thrown for 2,106 yards this season and has 14 touchdowns to eight interceptions. Coker has struggled at times with turnovers, but Saban will look to put his quarterback in good positions Saturday with a strong ground game.
Alabama running back Derrick Henry is a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy award, and he is having an incredible season for the Crimson Tide. Henry has rushed for 1,526 yards and has scored 21 touchdowns. Alabama's junior running back is listed at 6-foot-3, 242 pounds, and is a challenge for any defense to bring down. Henry has scored multiple touchdowns in Alabama's last five games, and he will try to find the endzone against the Tigers Saturday afternoon.
While Henry and the Crimson Tide offense has been rolling this season, it's their defense that separates this team from everyone else in college football. Senior linebacker Reggie Ragland is the leader on the field for the Crimson Tide defense and has recorded 85 total tackles this season. Ragland covers the entire field and has 6.5 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks this season.
The Auburn Tigers have played two quarterbacks this season, but Jeremy Johnson is expected to get the start Saturday. Johnson has started the last three games for the Tigers, as quarterback Sean White has been dealing with a knee injury. Johnson brings a dual threat ability to the quarterback position, as he has thrown for 873 yards this season but has also rushed for 129 yards and five touchdowns. Malzahn will need his quarterback to play mistake-free football, as he has struggled with turnovers this season.
The Tigers face their toughest challenge of their season against a stingy Crimson Tide defense, and they need to have an effective ground game if they want to pull out the upset this weekend. Sophomore running back Peyton Barber leads the team in rushing yards this season with 947 yards and has scored 13 touchdowns. Barber is averaging 4.3 yards per carry but will have to fight for every inch against Alabama.
The battle for the state of Alabama takes place Saturday afternoon, and expect the Crimson Tide to come out fired up as they are one win away from a SEC championship game. The game starts at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time, and you can watch the live broadcast here. To listen to Alabama's radio broadcast, click here, and for the Tigers' radio broadcast, go here.
