Brotherly love, neighborly hate, unrelenting disgust, mutual respect; The Iron Bowl. The Auburn Tigers versus the Alabama Crimson Tide is the best rivalry in college football, and the 2024 Iron Bowl will go down in the final week of the regular season.
These are two teams who talk trash all year, support each other when tragedy strikes, and yet deep down, respect each other.
Auburn Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide Iron Bowl History & Excerpts
This is the 89th Iron Bowl matchup in history. Alabama has won 50 contests, while Auburn has won 37. The two teams have tied only one time in their respective histories. This game has been played in Auburn, Birmingham, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa in its storied history. This year it is in Tuscaloosa, with Alabama coming in with an 8-3 record and Auburn sitting at 5-6.
Auburn freshman linebacker Demarcus Riddick gave the Crimson Tide bulletin board material with his quotes this week.
“Ryan Williams ain’t no big time player to me,” began Riddick. “I will not lose to Bama while I’m here … [Jalen Milroe is] fast but he is not faster than me. He will not get out the box this week.”
The Alabama quarterback responded quickly.
“I don’t even know who that is,” stated Milroe. However, that was quickly disproven on social media.
So Mr. Jalen Milroe made a statement saying “I DON’T KNOW EVEN WHO THAT IS” 😳Well here’s the receipts baby 🧡💙🧡💙🧡🦅 pic.twitter.com/Nnk3ZrWG5d
— willie riddick (@willieriddick32) November 27, 2024
The key players will play a huge part in this game, but no player will need any help with motivation.
Auburn Key Players
The Auburn Tigers are playing for bowl eligibility in the Iron Bowl this week. They are going to have to play a disciplined game and take their shots when the opportunity arises. Because of that, the key players on offense are running back Jarquez Hunter, wide receivers Cam Coleman, and KeAndre Lambert-Smith, with Malcolm Simmons as an honorable mention.
The Auburn offense cannot become one-dimensional. To ensure that, Hunter is going to have to be involved in the game and continue to pound the rock. Hunter has 1,145 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns while averaging 6.6 yards per carry this season. He will have to be a focal point in the Auburn offense.
Meanwhile, freshman wide receiver Cam Coleman has broken out the last two weeks in what many are calling the “Please Don’t Transfer Cam” offense. In the last two weeks, he’s had 15 receptions, 228 yards and five touchdowns, bringing his season-long totals to 30 receptions, 520 yards and seven touchdowns. He has the talent to make spectacular catches and take the top off of the defense and both of those skills will be needed.
KeAndre Lambert-Smith similarly has the ability to make spectacular catches and will be a threat anywhere on the field. He caught the game-winning pass last week against Texas A&M and has produced 42 receptions, 865 yards and eight touchdowns.
KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Dude got up. Hell of a way to win it. pic.twitter.com/KpkBGa0tMD
— Max Olson (@max_olson) November 24, 2024
The honorable mention is freshman wide receiver Malcolm Simmons because he has game-breaking speed and can break a big play on offense or special teams.
Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze has said that since Demarcus Riddick started playing more, Auburn has changed – and it’s true. The DJ Durkin-led defense has been playing well against most of their opponents and keeping Auburn in games. The key players for that defense are the aforementioned freshman linebacker, freshman cornerback Jay Crawford and for this game sophomore cornerback Kayin Lee.
Crawford and Lee will be tasked with slowing down Germie Barnard and Ryan Williams in the Iron Bowl. Lee is tied for first on the team with two interceptions while compiling 30 tackles and seven pass deflections (also tied for the team lead). Crawford has been a standout freshman with seven pass deflections, 14 tackles and one interception. The Tigers will need to force at least one turnover, can one of these two young corners pull it off?
Meanwhile, Riddick has promised to stop Jalen Milroe by himself in this matchup. If he and the rest of the Tigers are able to do so, then this game will be interesting. In eight games, Riddick has 25 tackles, three sacks and one pass deflection. He will be all over the field.
Alabama Key Players
Alabama’s offense runs through one player, Jalen Milroe. However, Milroe has two stud wide receivers that he throws to and they will both be key players in the Iron Bowl. Germie Bernard and Ryan Williams are those two stud wide receivers and they will be a problem for the Auburn defense.
Bernard has 39 receptions, 603 yards and two touchdowns this year and he pairs well with freshman wide receiver. Williams, who is only 17 years old, has 42 receptions with 804 yards and eight touchdowns. He is spectacular to watch and every time he makes a highlight Auburn fans cringe a little extra with his recruitment going down to the wire last year.
17 years old, tattoo sleeves, turkish veneers, and eye tape that says kill everybody… ryan williams is a damn menace pic.twitter.com/Gchfnub0VI
— 𝑁𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑠 シ (@ixNOKES) September 29, 2024
That leads us to Milroe, the general of the offense. The quarterback has 2,396 yards passing on a 65 percent completion rate and 15 touchdowns. That is just his passing stats; it is his rushing that makes him such a threat. He has 135 carries for 615 yards and 17 touchdowns which all lead the Crimson Tide. The two running backs to watch outside of Milroe are Jam Miller and Justice Haynes. These two will need to have some kind of impact if Milroe is slowed down.
Alabama’s defense is lead by junior linebacker Jihaad Campbell. Campbell leads the team with 99 tackles and five sacks. He also has two pass deflections and one interception. Auburn will need to figure out how to gameplan around him.
Senior defensive back Malachi Moore will also be a key player in the Iron Bowl for the Crimson Tide defense. Moore has 66 tackles, five pass deflections and two interceptions. Moore is a vocal and emotional leader for the Tide, but will need to keep a level head in the rivalry game.
The final key player for Alabama will be junior linebacker Deontae Lawson who is a versatile player for this defense. Lawson has 76 tackles, two sacks, four pass deflections and an interception. He will truly be all over the field.
Keys for Auburn to win the Iron Bowl
The Iron Bowl is one of those games where you throw out everything that has happened previously in the season, because the rivalry of it all supersedes anything else. For Auburn to win this game, they are going to have to keep their offense multi-dimensional by establishing the run, have playmakers on offense make plays in key moments, and stop Milroe running the ball.
If the Tigers can keep the time of possession on their side by running the ball and have Coleman and Lambert-Smith execute when their numbers are called the offense should be able to match the defense’s output. Defensively, Milroe is the focal point. In games that Milroe has struggled to run the ball, Alabama has struggled to produce offensively. This has to be what Auburn does on defense.
Recruiting Roundup
The Iron Bowl is always huge for recruiting for both teams. Players will come to visit and see both schools in one fell swoop. For Auburn, Malik Autry has officially shut down his recruitment and will sign with the Auburn Tigers on Early Signing Day.
There has also been a prediction that five-star cornerback, Na’eem Offord, will flip his commitment from Ohio State to Auburn. If that happens, the Auburn Tigers’ 2025 class could improve on its number three ranking.
