Alabama travels to Auburn for Iron Bowl
By Staff
Auburn hosts Alabama Friday in a game that features several great story lines.
Alabama is looking to wrap up its second straight undefeated regular season.
Auburn is looking to finish its first season under new head coach Gene Chizik by ending its rival's national title hopes.
This will be a battle of the running backs as Alabama's Mark Ingram is in the hunt for the Heisman Trophy and Auburn's Ben Tate keeps moving up the Tigers' all-time career list.
Ingram has 1,399 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. Tate has 1,209 yards and eight touchdowns.
The key to this game will be the defenses. Alabama holds a big advantage in many Southeastern Conference statistical categories.
The Crimson Tide has the second best scoring defense at 9.9 points per game and tops in the SEC in rushing defense, allowing only 70.4 yards per game.
If Alabama shuts down Auburn's rushing attack, the Tigers will have to have one of its best passing games of the season.
Auburn has the fourth best passing offense in the conference with 22 touchdowns and an average of 221.9 yards per game.
Alabama's pass defense is second in the SEC, allowing 154.6 yards per game.
Auburn quarterback Chris Todd is fifth in the SEC with 2,196 yards. He has thrown for 19 touchdowns and has been intercepted five times.
Auburn's Darvin Adams is fourth in the conference with 65.2 receiving yards per game and sixth with four catches per game.
Todd will have a tough time hooking up with Adams as the Tigers will be facing the toughest pass defense they have lined up against all season.
Alabama's Mark Barron ranks sixth nationally with six interceptions.
The Alabama offense also holds many statistical mismatches against Auburn.
Ingram will face the conference's 10th-ranked rushing defense, which is allowing 169.7 yards per game and quarterback Greg McElroy will be throwing against a defense giving up 189.5 passing yards per game.
McElroy is seventh in the SEC with 1,993 yards, 14 touchdowns and only four interceptions.
The Crimson Tide also holds an advantage in special teams.
Alabama kicker Leigh Tiffin has hit 25-of-28 field goal attempts this season and is a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, which is presented to the best kicker in college football.
Javier Arenas is close to setting several NCAA career records for punt and kick returns.
Auburn's Wes Byrum has converted 14-of-15 field goals and all 46 point after attempts. He is six points shy of setting an Auburn record for most points scored in a single season by a kicker and 14 points away from the overall school record.
Alabama leads the all-time series 39-33-1 and the visiting team has won five of the last 10 games in the series.
The team leading at halftime will be in good shape. The halftime leader has won 74 percent of the games in this series.
