IRON BOWL 2024: No. 13 Alabama hosts Auburn with both teams ending rough regular seasons
Oklahoma defensive lineman Gracen Halton (56) tackles Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) during the second half of a NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)
Alabama and Auburn meet in an Iron Bowl where both teams are trying to close disappointing regular seasons in style.
The 13th-ranked Crimson Tide had their playoff hopes put on life support with a 24-3 loss to Oklahoma. Kalen DeBoer’s first Tide team is also in jeopardy of breaking a 16-year string of seasons with double-digit wins.
The Tigers have won two straight games but have to beat ‘Bama to avoid a fourth straight losing season. Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe is coming off a bad game while Auburn’s Payton Thorne has had two straight big ones.
Key matchup
Auburn’s defense against Alabama’s dual threat quarterback Jalen Milroe. The Tigers have had some issues containing mobile quarterbacks, and few are bigger running threats than Milroe. In fact, Alabama has been at its best when he’s been a force on the ground in games like Georgia and LSU. He has run for 17 touchdowns but is coming off one of his worst performances in a loss to Oklahoma: three interceptions and a mere 7 rushing yards.
Players to watch
Auburn: RB Jarquez Hunter is the Tigers’ offensive workhorse, running for 1,174 yards and eight touchdowns. He has rushed for 232 yards and four touchdowns over the past two games and had a 278-yard performance in a road win over Kentucky.
Alabama: LB Justin Jefferson is expected to replace defensive play caller and leader Deontae Lawson. He has 45 tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks. Lawson is out for the season with a lower body injury.
Facts & figures
Barring upsets elsewhere, this could be a rare game without national title implications for Alabama. Since the 2008 season, that has only been the case for six of 201 regular season games: the final three games in 2010 and the last three in 2022. … The Tide have won the last four meetings at Bryant-Denny Stadium by an average of 24.5 points while struggling in Auburn. … The ULM and Texas A&M games marked the first time Auburn had ever had a 100-yard rusher and two 100-yard receivers in consecutive games.
Kickoff for the Iron Bowl between Auburn (5-6, 2-5 SEC) at No. 13 Alabama (8-3, 4-3, No. 13 CFP), is Saturday at 2:30PM CST on ABC 32.
(Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
