Aaron Suttles
TideSports.com Senior Writer
Auburn isn't as dominant a rushing team as it was a season ago, but the Tigers aren't far off that pace, controlling the tempo of games with a blend of inside and perimeter runs that keep defenses on their heels.
That's the genius of Gus Malzahn's offense. Just when you think it's about to do one thing, it does another, and when you get your legs underneath you, the ball goes over your head for a play-action pass.
The Tigers' 5.7 yards per carry is second in the SEC with a league-best 266 yards rushing per game. There's no Greg Robinson or Tre Mason this year, but Cameron Artis-Payne'S 127.7 yards per game is best in the conference.
He and quarterback Nick Marshall, who is second on the team with 731 yards on the season, present another stiff challenge for the University of Alabama front seven.
"They really read the defense a lot, so it's really important for the defense to be disciplined and be smart and keep (containment)," defensive end Jonathan Allen said.
With Auburn's ability to run on the perimeter so well, Alabama's defensive backs have the added challenge of getting off blocks from bigger wide receivers Duke Williams and Sammie Coates.
"…they're big, they take up a lot of space, you really can't see around them a lot of the time," cornerback Cyrus Jones said. "You just definitely got to do a good job of getting your hands inside and striking back at them and trying to get off the blocks when necessary."
It's the combination of inside and outside runs that presents problems for defenses.
"I think some of their most effective plays that complement their inside running game is the way they run the ball on the perimeter," UA coach Nick Saban said. "I think that's the thing that makes it so hard to defend so it's not that they're one or the other. I think it's the combination of the two and their ability to throw play-action passes vertically down the field to some very good receivers that make them one of the best offensive teams around."
Outside perspective
Sixty-one of Alabama's 85-player scholarship roster hails from outside the state lines of Alabama.
As such most didn't grasp the significance and intensity of the rivalry with Auburn until their arrival in Tuscaloosa or when they experienced the Iron Bowl for themselves.
"I didn't really know about the rivalry," senior quarterback Blake Sims said. "Being in Georgia, I was a fan of the Bulldogs and our rivalry was Georgia Tech. But when I when I came here, I saw how excited everybody was for the game and Alabama fans, the players, the coaches have brought me into the rivalry. I'm very excited for it. I've been watching for five years, now I have the opportunity to play in it and I'm very excited for me and my family."
Others knew of the rivalry but had to play in the game to fully understand it.
"(I've had) a couple of disappointments. Been around a lot of crazy stuff in Iron Bowls," senior right tackle Austin Shepherd said. "Always great energy. I know the stadium is going to be rocking for sure. It's always a good game and it always matters, so I love playing in games like that. Those are the best games to play in."
Complimentary viewing
The SEC Network is giving fans an complimentary viewing option to its Iron Bowl broadcast on ESPN Saturday night at 6:45 p.m.
Paul Finebaum, host of the popular Paul Finebaum Show radio show, will host Finebaum Film Room: Iron Bowl, in which he analyzes the game with Marcus Spears, Greg McElroy, Cole Cubelic and Booger McFarland during the game.
Finebaum will also take calls from fans during the game.
Don't peak too soon
It's easier said than done, and if coaches could figure it out it would eliminate a major hurdle of their coaching profession.
Not peaking too soon for a big game like the one this Saturday is what Saban will try to avoid this week as he seeks to keep his team building momentum towards Saturday night.
"As a coach that's what you're always trying to do," Saban said. "We try to do it every week so the players are ready for when the game comes.
"I think the thing that we try to do is we have a routine that the players go through in terms of what they can expect on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and hopefully that routine helps them prepare themselves, not only physically to execute the things they need to do in the game but also psychologically in terms of getting themselves ready to play in the game."
- See more at: https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1708608#sthash.WGm1gSXO.dpuf
TideSports.com Senior Writer
Auburn isn't as dominant a rushing team as it was a season ago, but the Tigers aren't far off that pace, controlling the tempo of games with a blend of inside and perimeter runs that keep defenses on their heels.
That's the genius of Gus Malzahn's offense. Just when you think it's about to do one thing, it does another, and when you get your legs underneath you, the ball goes over your head for a play-action pass.
The Tigers' 5.7 yards per carry is second in the SEC with a league-best 266 yards rushing per game. There's no Greg Robinson or Tre Mason this year, but Cameron Artis-Payne'S 127.7 yards per game is best in the conference.
He and quarterback Nick Marshall, who is second on the team with 731 yards on the season, present another stiff challenge for the University of Alabama front seven.
"They really read the defense a lot, so it's really important for the defense to be disciplined and be smart and keep (containment)," defensive end Jonathan Allen said.
With Auburn's ability to run on the perimeter so well, Alabama's defensive backs have the added challenge of getting off blocks from bigger wide receivers Duke Williams and Sammie Coates.
"…they're big, they take up a lot of space, you really can't see around them a lot of the time," cornerback Cyrus Jones said. "You just definitely got to do a good job of getting your hands inside and striking back at them and trying to get off the blocks when necessary."
It's the combination of inside and outside runs that presents problems for defenses.
"I think some of their most effective plays that complement their inside running game is the way they run the ball on the perimeter," UA coach Nick Saban said. "I think that's the thing that makes it so hard to defend so it's not that they're one or the other. I think it's the combination of the two and their ability to throw play-action passes vertically down the field to some very good receivers that make them one of the best offensive teams around."
Outside perspective
Sixty-one of Alabama's 85-player scholarship roster hails from outside the state lines of Alabama.
As such most didn't grasp the significance and intensity of the rivalry with Auburn until their arrival in Tuscaloosa or when they experienced the Iron Bowl for themselves.
"I didn't really know about the rivalry," senior quarterback Blake Sims said. "Being in Georgia, I was a fan of the Bulldogs and our rivalry was Georgia Tech. But when I when I came here, I saw how excited everybody was for the game and Alabama fans, the players, the coaches have brought me into the rivalry. I'm very excited for it. I've been watching for five years, now I have the opportunity to play in it and I'm very excited for me and my family."
Others knew of the rivalry but had to play in the game to fully understand it.
"(I've had) a couple of disappointments. Been around a lot of crazy stuff in Iron Bowls," senior right tackle Austin Shepherd said. "Always great energy. I know the stadium is going to be rocking for sure. It's always a good game and it always matters, so I love playing in games like that. Those are the best games to play in."
Complimentary viewing
The SEC Network is giving fans an complimentary viewing option to its Iron Bowl broadcast on ESPN Saturday night at 6:45 p.m.
Paul Finebaum, host of the popular Paul Finebaum Show radio show, will host Finebaum Film Room: Iron Bowl, in which he analyzes the game with Marcus Spears, Greg McElroy, Cole Cubelic and Booger McFarland during the game.
Finebaum will also take calls from fans during the game.
Don't peak too soon
It's easier said than done, and if coaches could figure it out it would eliminate a major hurdle of their coaching profession.
Not peaking too soon for a big game like the one this Saturday is what Saban will try to avoid this week as he seeks to keep his team building momentum towards Saturday night.
"As a coach that's what you're always trying to do," Saban said. "We try to do it every week so the players are ready for when the game comes.
"I think the thing that we try to do is we have a routine that the players go through in terms of what they can expect on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and hopefully that routine helps them prepare themselves, not only physically to execute the things they need to do in the game but also psychologically in terms of getting themselves ready to play in the game."
- See more at: https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1708608#sthash.WGm1gSXO.dpuf
