Gary Danielson: Alabama football 'spooked' by playing at Auburn ahead of must-win game

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Will the Alabama Crimson Tide beat the Auburn Tigers in the annual Iron Bowl showdown on Nov. 29 at Jordan-Hare Stadium after losing to Oklahoma in Week 12?

Longtime college football voice and former “SEC on CBS” commentator Gary Danielson doesn’t seem entirely certain following the Crimson Tide’s 23-21 upset loss to the Sooners on Saturday.

Alabama (8-2) is ranked No. 10 in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll; Auburn (4-6) is unranked. The Crimson Tide will have a spot in the College Football Playoff at stake and everything to gain; Auburn will have nothing to lose.

Appearing on the Monday edition of “Mad Dog Unleashed” (subscription required) with Chris Russo on SiriusXM, Danielson was asked whether Auburn could potentially “knock out” Alabama in the 90th edition of the Iron Bowl.

“I think Alabama is a very good team,” Danielson said. “I think Auburn is a little better than they’ve played this year. I will say, that stadium seems to spook Alabama.”

Danielson has seen enough Iron Bowls to know. Even Nick Saban has called Jordan-Hare Stadium “haunted,” and I can practically hear any Alabama fan sighing as they read this while thinking of past Iron Bowl meetings on the Plains.

Alabama-Auburn was announced this week as a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff time, a departure from its traditional 2:30 p.m. start. The game will be televised on ABC.

Alabama has won five straight over Auburn and will be seeking a third consecutive win at Jordan-Hare, a feat that would be a program first.

Russo agreed that Alabama seems “spooked” when playing at Auburn’s stadium. Danielson was cagey when asked if the Tide would beat the Tigers and conceded:

“The only thing that Alabama is different to me this year than any team I’ve watched is they just don’t run the ball very well. They’re just not a good running team, and usually when you play on the road, it’s just hard to say, ‘We’re just going to go in there and throw for 350 yards.’ That’s usually hard to do in an SEC football game.”

Simpson’s season-high in passing yards away from Bryant-Denny Stadium is the 276 he threw for in the Crimson Tide’s 24-21 win over the Georgia Bulldogs on Sept. 27. Alabama ranks 14th in the SEC in rushing yards with 1,087 through 10 games.

Alabama football history vs. Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium

In the all-time series, the Crimson Tide are 7-10 in games at Auburn dating back to 1989. Here are game-by-game results for Alabama vs. Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium over the past 10-plus years.

  • 2023: Alabama 27, Auburn 24
  • 2021: Alabama 24, Auburn 22 (OT)
  • 2019: Auburn 48, Alabama 45
  • 2017: Auburn 26, Alabama 14
  • 2015: Alabama 29, Auburn 13
  • 2013: Auburn 34, Alabama 28
  • 2011: Alabama 42, Auburn 14

Alabama football schedule 2025

Alabama will take on Eastern Illinois as a final tuneup for the Iron Bowl at 1 p.m. CT Saturday. The game will be available to stream via ESPN Unlimited (previously ESPN+) and SEC Network+.

  • Aug. 30: at Florida State (L, 31-17)
  • Sept. 6: vs. UL Monroe (W, 73-0)
  • Sept. 13: vs. Wisconsin (W, 38-14)
  • Sept. 27: at Georgia (W, 24-21)
  • Oct. 4: vs. Vanderbilt (W, 30-14)
  • Oct. 11: at Missouri (W, 27-24)
  • Oct. 18: vs. Tennessee (W, 37-20)
  • Oct. 25: at South Carolina (W, 29-22)
  • Nov. 8: vs. LSU (W, 20-9)
  • Nov. 15: vs. Oklahoma (L, 23-21)
  • Nov. 22 vs. Eastern Illinois, 1 p.m., ESPN+
  • Nov. 29: at Auburn, 6:30 p.m., ABC

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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama football ‘spooked’ by playing at Auburn, Gary Danielson says

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