PhillyGirl
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http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...hould-be-terrified-of-auburn-in-the-iron-bowl
This year's Iron Bowl doesn't carry division and national title hopes for both teams like last year's edition did, but that doesn't diminish the intrigue associated with the nation's biggest rivalry.
It just changes it a little bit.
No. 1 Alabama will have everything to gain on Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa. The SEC West title, playoff hopes and revenge will be in front of the Crimson Tide, while Auburn will enter Bryant-Denny Stadium with nothing to lose other than the state title.
If there's anything scarier in college football than the thought of Auburn head coach Gus Malzahnemptying the playbook, I'm not sure what it is. On top of that, his players don't have class this week and have all week to focus on football.
Look out, Alabama.
Why should Alabama be terrified of the Tigers?
Duke Could Get Loose
Auburn wide receiver D'haquille "Duke" Williams has missed the last two games after suffering a sprained MCL in the first half of the loss to Texas A&M earlier this month, but he could return for the Iron Bowl showdown with the Crimson Tide.
According to offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee (via: Ryan Black of the Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Inquirer), Williams could make a return this weekend in Tuscaloosa.
WarEagleExtra ā @wareagleextra
Lashlee on Duke Williams: "He's still day-to-day." Said Williams is "still getting better."
6:33 PM - 23 Nov 2014
Williams' return would be huge for Auburn and quarterback Nick Marshall, in particular. He has 38 catches for 609 yards and five touchdowns this season, and he has done his best work in clutch situations. Of his 38 catches, 15 have come on third down, and 13 of those have gone for first downs.
Alabama will undoubtedly load up against Marshall and running back Cameron Artis-Payne, and having a receiver like Williams available to move the chains will force the Crimson Tide to stay honest, back safeties off a step and make life just a little bit easier for the Tigers offense.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban knows just how dangerous Williams is, according to John Zenor of The Associated Press:
John Zenor ā @jzenor
Saban on Duke Williams: He's such an outstanding playmaker because of his size. He's got great hands, has got great range as a ballcatcher.
1:13 PM - 24 Nov 2014
Williams' return would also benefit fellow wide receiver SammieCoates. The superstar junior has been fighting through a lingering knee injury suffered in the season opener against Arkansas and is finally rounding into form, according to Lashlee (via Black).
WarEagleExtra ā @wareagleextra
Lashlee on Sammie Coates: "He's probably as healthy right now as he's been all year."
6:31 PM - 23 Nov 2014
Williams and Coates together allows Lashlee and Malzahn to get creative with their passing plays and take advantage when one or the other are in single-coverage.
The Multidimensional Rushing Attack
It's no secret that mobile quarterbacks give Saban's defenses fits from time to time, and Marshall himself did that last season. He rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown in addition to his two passing touchdowns last year in the 34-28 win for the Tigers, and he calmly led the Tigers down the field in the closing minutes before hitting Coates for the game-tying touchdown.
If you look back at all of Alabama's losses since 2009, all of those teams have quarterbacks who presented a threat on the ground. Not all of them had huge days on the ground against the Tide, but that threat forced the Tide to play flawless assignment football, and those coaches used that threat to open up their offenses.
It isn't the tempo that gets Saban, it's the threat of a running quarterback combined with tempo and motion that gets Saban's defenses in trouble.
Even the best linebackers get sucked in by play-action and the eye-candy that Malzahn's offense creates before and right after the snap, and it's something that Saban is very concerned about according to B/R Alabama lead writer Marc Torrence.
Marc Torrence @marctorrence
Saban asked about Auburn's "eye candy" pre-snap on offense. "There's a method to what they do."
1:15 PM - 24 Nov 2014
Take last year, for example.
On Marshall's touchdown run in the first quarter (2:16 mark of the video below), linebacker C.J. Mosley and safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix both get sucked in on the zone read to Tre Mason, which leaves a gaping hole for Marshall to run through for the score. These are two defenders collecting NFL paychecks right now, and even they got assignments confused.
Why?
Clinton-Dix was on the move with the fly-sweep action to Ricardo Louis, which created confusion among the Tide linebackers and safeties.
Whether you feel Marshall has progressed as a passer or not, this is still the same offense run by the same coach and quarterback that puts a ton of stress on opposing defenses. One blown assignment could lead to a touchdown from anywhere on the field, which puts a ton of pressure on Saban, defensive coordinator Kirby Smart and Alabama's defense.
Red-Zone Defense
Auburn's defense has been more of a punchline than a power during Malzahn's first two seasons on the Plains, but when the Tigers get backed up into a corner, they typically fight back with a vengeance.
The Tigers rank second in the SEC in red-zone defense, allowing opponents to score 68.89 percent of the time.
Conversely, Alabama's offense is 10th in the SEC in red-zone conversions at 82.35 percent. As Sporting News pointed out last week, Saban wasn't too happen with offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin after the Crimson Tide couldn't punch it in on three attempts inside the six-yard line in the win over Western Carolina.
Auburn's best chance against the Crimson Tide is winning a track meet. If the Tigers can get one or two key red-zone stops against the Crimson Tide and force field goals instead of touchdowns, it will allow the Tigers offense to stay multidimensional and in its comfort zone.
This year's Iron Bowl doesn't carry division and national title hopes for both teams like last year's edition did, but that doesn't diminish the intrigue associated with the nation's biggest rivalry.
It just changes it a little bit.
No. 1 Alabama will have everything to gain on Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa. The SEC West title, playoff hopes and revenge will be in front of the Crimson Tide, while Auburn will enter Bryant-Denny Stadium with nothing to lose other than the state title.
If there's anything scarier in college football than the thought of Auburn head coach Gus Malzahnemptying the playbook, I'm not sure what it is. On top of that, his players don't have class this week and have all week to focus on football.
Look out, Alabama.
Why should Alabama be terrified of the Tigers?
Duke Could Get Loose
Auburn wide receiver D'haquille "Duke" Williams has missed the last two games after suffering a sprained MCL in the first half of the loss to Texas A&M earlier this month, but he could return for the Iron Bowl showdown with the Crimson Tide.
According to offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee (via: Ryan Black of the Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Inquirer), Williams could make a return this weekend in Tuscaloosa.
WarEagleExtra ā @wareagleextra
Lashlee on Duke Williams: "He's still day-to-day." Said Williams is "still getting better."
6:33 PM - 23 Nov 2014
Williams' return would be huge for Auburn and quarterback Nick Marshall, in particular. He has 38 catches for 609 yards and five touchdowns this season, and he has done his best work in clutch situations. Of his 38 catches, 15 have come on third down, and 13 of those have gone for first downs.
Alabama will undoubtedly load up against Marshall and running back Cameron Artis-Payne, and having a receiver like Williams available to move the chains will force the Crimson Tide to stay honest, back safeties off a step and make life just a little bit easier for the Tigers offense.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban knows just how dangerous Williams is, according to John Zenor of The Associated Press:
John Zenor ā @jzenor
Saban on Duke Williams: He's such an outstanding playmaker because of his size. He's got great hands, has got great range as a ballcatcher.
1:13 PM - 24 Nov 2014
Williams' return would also benefit fellow wide receiver SammieCoates. The superstar junior has been fighting through a lingering knee injury suffered in the season opener against Arkansas and is finally rounding into form, according to Lashlee (via Black).
WarEagleExtra ā @wareagleextra
Lashlee on Sammie Coates: "He's probably as healthy right now as he's been all year."
6:31 PM - 23 Nov 2014
Williams and Coates together allows Lashlee and Malzahn to get creative with their passing plays and take advantage when one or the other are in single-coverage.
The Multidimensional Rushing Attack
It's no secret that mobile quarterbacks give Saban's defenses fits from time to time, and Marshall himself did that last season. He rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown in addition to his two passing touchdowns last year in the 34-28 win for the Tigers, and he calmly led the Tigers down the field in the closing minutes before hitting Coates for the game-tying touchdown.
If you look back at all of Alabama's losses since 2009, all of those teams have quarterbacks who presented a threat on the ground. Not all of them had huge days on the ground against the Tide, but that threat forced the Tide to play flawless assignment football, and those coaches used that threat to open up their offenses.
It isn't the tempo that gets Saban, it's the threat of a running quarterback combined with tempo and motion that gets Saban's defenses in trouble.
Even the best linebackers get sucked in by play-action and the eye-candy that Malzahn's offense creates before and right after the snap, and it's something that Saban is very concerned about according to B/R Alabama lead writer Marc Torrence.
Marc Torrence @marctorrence
Saban asked about Auburn's "eye candy" pre-snap on offense. "There's a method to what they do."
1:15 PM - 24 Nov 2014
Take last year, for example.
On Marshall's touchdown run in the first quarter (2:16 mark of the video below), linebacker C.J. Mosley and safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix both get sucked in on the zone read to Tre Mason, which leaves a gaping hole for Marshall to run through for the score. These are two defenders collecting NFL paychecks right now, and even they got assignments confused.
Why?
Clinton-Dix was on the move with the fly-sweep action to Ricardo Louis, which created confusion among the Tide linebackers and safeties.
Whether you feel Marshall has progressed as a passer or not, this is still the same offense run by the same coach and quarterback that puts a ton of stress on opposing defenses. One blown assignment could lead to a touchdown from anywhere on the field, which puts a ton of pressure on Saban, defensive coordinator Kirby Smart and Alabama's defense.
Red-Zone Defense
Auburn's defense has been more of a punchline than a power during Malzahn's first two seasons on the Plains, but when the Tigers get backed up into a corner, they typically fight back with a vengeance.
The Tigers rank second in the SEC in red-zone defense, allowing opponents to score 68.89 percent of the time.
Conversely, Alabama's offense is 10th in the SEC in red-zone conversions at 82.35 percent. As Sporting News pointed out last week, Saban wasn't too happen with offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin after the Crimson Tide couldn't punch it in on three attempts inside the six-yard line in the win over Western Carolina.
Auburn's best chance against the Crimson Tide is winning a track meet. If the Tigers can get one or two key red-zone stops against the Crimson Tide and force field goals instead of touchdowns, it will allow the Tigers offense to stay multidimensional and in its comfort zone.
