This weekend the Iron Bowl comes to Tuscaloosa. The top ranked Alabama Crimson Tide is hosting their cross-state rival Auburn Tigers on Saturday. The 22nd-ranked Tigers come into the game at five and two after defeating Tennessee last weekend. Alabama is coming off a lop-sided victory over the Kentucky Wildcats. Alabama head coach Nick Saban says this is an important game and his players will need to be ready.
“These guys play well in all phases of the game. Their defense has played well, they’re second in scoring in the SEC in scoring defense. They’ve got some very active linebackers, very athletic on defense, making a lot of big plays.”
Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith broke the SEC for touchdown receptions last week. He now has 33. Smith has also been running back kickoffs and punts in the absence of Jaylen Waddle who was injured earlier in the season. Saban says Auburn is no slouch on special teams either.
“Good return game, good specialists. This is going to be a very challenging game for us in a lot of ways, we certainly need to play our best football of the season to have success in this game.”
Alabama is hoping to avenge last year’s Iron Bowl loss. The game kicks off Saturday afternoon at 2:30. The Tide’s schedule has been impacted by COVID-19. A planned game against LSU was postponed due to positive test results for players for the Tigers. There’s been speculation in the press about rescheduling that game for early December.