🏈 While the coaches and team focus on MSU, let's talk Iron Bowl

['65 Cobra]

Just wanted to throw out some early thoughts on the Iron Bowl knowing the coaching staff and team are laser focused on beating MSU. The big question is: Auburn's 9-1 record; is it real or is it hollow? OK - for some reason I am unable to start new paragraphs - hitting "enter" is not working and this has happened before, so this post will be one continuous paragraph. Auburn is currently ranked 3rd overall in rushing yards but 108th in passing yards. They have ZERO passing game. They are ranked 18th is scoring offense and 22nd in scoring defense. Their game against TAMU was similar to ours, but they almost lost to Ole Miss and we shut them out. Marshall is the vast bulk of their entire offense and I think their defensive ranking has a lot to do with the fact that they run the ball on offense so well and eat clock. I think we need to have a healthy respect for this game, but I am really wondering just how "real" that 9-1 record really is. Either way, Jordan-?Hare will be rocking and they will put their best game on of the year. I think our defensive game plan needs to be to stack the box to stop the run, KNOWING that Malzahn (sp?) will probably try to fool us by passing the ball early. We just need to be ready for it, but we also need to remember that they have no passing game and you can't just invent one overnight and so stopping the run is paramount. If LSU can do it, we can do it better.

 

[bamaraider]

The stadium atmosphere will be insane. The Goat humpers defense will feed off of that. Take a look at this stat though: Marshall has attempted 15 passes in their last two games. 2 TD's and 1 INT in those match-ups. Try and convince me that Auburn is not one-dimensional. Against running teams (Arkansas, LSU, Tennessee), Auburn has given up over 676 rushing yards. Alabama in those games? 335. Auburn fans will love to tell you that Alabama cannot stop the run, but blindly turn their eye when its their run defense. Marshall is elusive, but Alabama is way more disciplined than Tennessee. Gus will try and pull some tricks, but it all comes down to who can do the small things right.

 

[Houndstoothpuller]

I suspect the game will look somewhat like the LSU game in that it's conceivable it's a close game for two or three quarters. The barners will be jacked up at home seeing a chance to beat Alabama for the first time in a few years, but in the end Bama should be too much over a full 60 mins.

I like the emphasis CNS is putting on running the football very well, establishing the run so the other aspects of the offense fall into place.
Look, au can't afford to stack the box to stop our run, because we have the weapons on the perimeter and AJ.
We CAN afford to stack it and make the barn qb pass it, which they will have limited success doing, imo.

I think we beat them by 20 or more, but we may trail in the game at some point.
This Alabama team doesn't seem likely to allow any inferior talent to sneak up on them.
aubarn will truly have to be better that day to win, and I don't think they are there yet.
Malzahn will have a truckload of trickery set up for us, and I hope we're ready.

 

[JoshB]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx806ZTL79c