3 Keys for Alabama's Game Against Auburn

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3 Keys for Alabama's Game Against Auburn

Nothing like a good confidence boost to come into Rivalry Week, right?

The Alabama Crimson Tide, fresh off a 56-0 win against Eastern Illinois and are just one win away from making it into the SEC Championship.

The biggest objective in the way though? A date with the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

I’m sure that sent a shiver up your spine too. 

The Iron Bowl, specifically at Jordan-Hare, has always been a bigger hurdle than normal to jump over for the Crimson Tide – even Nick Saban saying that that stadium is “haunted.”

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Crazy things have happened there, like the Kick-Six, the Grave Digger play, even the game where Bryce Young marched 97 yards down the field with less than two minutes left, and helped the Tide win in four overtimes.

No matter how poorly Auburn has been or how dominant Alabama has been in any season, any momentum goes out the window in Jordan-Hare, and to the Tigers, the opportunity to play spoiler against their arch-rivals is motivation enough.

So with that, there are a few things that Alabama needs to hone in on in preparation for possibly the biggest game of the season.

Throw Everything Out the Window

What do I mean by this?

Alabama needs to figure out what works in this game. That means going to players the coaches may not be going to in big games.

Leading up to the Oklahoma game, we talked about head coach Kalen DeBoer possibly looking toward true freshman running back AK Dear, but Dear didn’t see the field.

It led to Alabama starting to roll out Jam Miller, but once it was clear that Miller was struggling, Daniel Hill was next in line. Hill rushed 15 times, for 60 yards and two touchdowns, but as a unit, the Tide only rushed for 2.4 yards per carry.

The run game has been a pain point essentially all season, putting DeBoer in a tough spot because the lead back in Miller has been the prototype for inconsistency. He lacks the explosion and the shiftiness to get around, but if he decides to bench him, that could possibly be seen as a slight to the senior.

Dear, however, did see a lot of action against EIU and he performed at a high level. He rushed for five yards per carry on 45 total yards, two rushing touchdowns and 12 receiving yards.

We’ve seen what he can do on the field, and he may be one of the Tide’s highest-ceiling running backs.

There’s no reason why this week’s game shouldn’t be led by a committee. Establish it, and roll out all the running backs from Miller to Hill to Kevin Riley to Dear.

See what works early on and put the backs in a position to succeed.

Protect the Rock

One of quarterback Ty Simpson’s biggest strengths to start the season was his ability to limit turnovers.

Through nine games, he boasted a beyond-impressive 20 touchdowns and only one interception. However, in the past two games, he’s thrown three picks, but he was also strip-sacked in five straight games, before that ended against EIU.

Needless to say, teams are starting to figure out Simpson, who seemed unbreakable after the Florida State loss.

His mechanics still seem solid, and his intention remains clear, but his accuracy has seemed off and has put the ball in danger more often than not.

Simpson has proven that he can perform at a high level in big games, especially in raucous environments. He was cool, calm and collected in Georgia, and carried the program to a comeback win against South Carolina.

But with all the bad history that surrounds Auburn, it may be a different story.

Defense Needs to Hold Up

Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack has done a superb job getting his guys ready for battle.

Anyone who has watched this team, especially in the last four games, can tell you that Alabama’s defense has been the reason why this program has been staying alive.

Pass rushers like Yhonzae Pierre and LT Overton have done an elite job at rushing the quarterback, Nikhai Hill-Green, Deontae Lawson and Justin Jefferson have been tackling machines in the open field, while Bray Hubbard, Keon Sabb and Dijon Lee have all been disruptors in the secondary.

Not only that, last week, the Tide allowed EIU to gain just 34 total yards. Granted, it was Eastern Illinois, but it’s still impressive beyond belief.

But the season isn’t over. 

And if there’s ever a game to leave it all on the line, it’s Auburn.

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