Preview Alabama vs Auburn 2015 Recent Risky Roughshod

It’s college football like none other.  Two fan bases that enjoy college football more than Christmas mornings or their own daughters’ weddings located in the same state.  Alabama vs Auburn 2015, a rivalry debated and a game  anticipated daily since the final score Alabama 55 Auburn 44, finally arrives later this month just in time for turkey dinner, well, at least the next-day leftovers.

Still a few weeks away, it’s never too early to preview the biggest rivalry in college football, The Iron Bowl, Alabama vs Auburn 2015.

In the Playoff hunt, while not controlling its own destiny, one-loss Alabama faces an Auburn team with wins that felt like losses and losses that showed a spark of improvement, a win/loss record 4 – 4 none-the better or worse.

 

Is there any chance Alabama Vs Auburn 2015 be a close game?

Alabama outscored, outrushed, outpassed, outdefended, and allowed fewer sacks than Auburn throughout the first eight games of the 2015 season,

Auburn fans are thinking, gee, other than that, Mrs Lincoln, how did you like the play?

While the ole eye test is Crimson and White there are light shades of Orange and Blue warranting consideration.

No. 55, DE Carl Lawson had a welcome back party.

Auburn’s Carl Lawson is back, again, and could be a factor on the defense.  A five star recruit, after an impressive freshman year, Lawson missed the 2014 season with an ACL injury, so started 2015 a redshirt sophomore.  Misfortune struck Lawson quickly, injured the first half of the first game, and missed the next six to finally return (again) for the home game against Ole Miss.  Even with the, 27 – 19, loss to Ole Miss, the defense had a spark, which was missing without him.

No 29, RB Jovon Robinson had a coming out party.

For various reasons highly recruited Jr College transfer from Memphis, TN, Jovon Robinson lacked playing time, with only 4 carries in the first 7 games.  In the Ole Miss game?  How about 18 carries for 91 yards against the shark defense.  More than the rest of the team, which gained only 34 yards rushing.

Is it too far a stretch to think that with Lawson and Robinson, Auburn would have won one or two of the games they lost and could be sitting at a 6 – 2 record?  Lawson is the glue that holds the Auburn defense together and could make things sticky for Coker and company later in November.

And there’s this, Auburn held Ole Miss to fewer points than Alabama did.

After the game, Auburn head Coach Gus Malzahn had this to say,

 

“I will just say this,”

 

“We can play with anybody and I think everyone can see that. We just have to figure out how to take that next step and get a victory. We have been close.”

 

Coach Malzahn is right.  Auburn had a chance to win in nearly every game that they lost,  but they do not compare well against Alabama right now.  Oh sure, they are outperforming the Tide in a few stats.  Auburn has a much higher 3rd down conversion percentage than Alabama and also has an outstanding kicker making long field goals.

The way these two teams have been playing Alabama should not get many tackles for loss against Auburn’s offensive line, which protects them pretty well.

Auburn doesn’t typically fumble the ball and this Alabama defense has not been very good at forcing fumbles.

It’s worth mentioning that Auburn plays a clean low penalty game ranked high in the nation, which in a close game could give them an advantage.  They also rank high in kick-off returns, 4^th in the nation, so special teams could save the day.

And for what it’s worth, that would be $1.60 per LED light and there’s 8.7 million of them, Alabama will get its first experience of the extraordinary sights and sounds of the ginormous TigerTron video board, which advantages Auburn with blinking strobe lights and sounds louder than any crowd of cow bells.

 

How likely is it that Alabama will run roughshod over Auburn in Iron Bowl 2015?  Here’s a look at Alabama vs Auburn 2015 Early November Predictions

 

Will Auburn score through the air?

Auburn is ranked near the bottom of the nation in passing yards per game and Alabama is 11^th in catching interceptions with 12 caught across the first 8 games.  Alabama’s Eddie Jackson is 5^th in the nation for snatching interceptions and ran 2 in for TD’s so far through 8 games this year.  Alabama is also ranked 2^nd for passes defended.

 

Can Auburn Run on Alabama?

A bigger challenge than passing, running on Alabama is just a horrible matchup for Auburn.  The best part of Alabama’s game is defending the run, ranked 3^rd in the nation allowing a measly 78 yards per game.  Rushing yards have been meager for Auburn so far through the first 8 games, ranked 93^rd nationally in rushing yards per game.

 

Can Auburn even stay on the field long enough to score in the Iron Bowl?

Auburn is ranked above Alabama in making third down conversions, but Alabama is 17th in the nation at stopping them.

Alabama is 8th in the nation in time of possession.  Auburn is 97th.

 

Can Alabama score on Auburn?

Responding well to the quarterback whisperer, Offensive Coordinator, Coach Lane Kiffin, Alabama quarterback Jake Coker improves each week and is gaining more confidence similar to the way Blake Sims did in 2014.  Coker may have a higher upside potential as we have seen him steam roll over linebackers as he scrambles for first downs.

Punt returns could also help Alabama with good field position.  Bama is ranked 6^th in the nation in long punt return plays and Auburn is ranked 35^th in defending them.

 

Will Auburn score at all?

A big Auburn problem in 2015 has been an inability to score touchdowns, having to settle for field goal attempts 17 times this year, but fortunately thanks to the foot of Daniel Carlson has made 14 of those.   In the 2014 Iron Bowl, Alabama’s defense forced Auburn to  settle for too many field goals in the first half of the game setting the stage for a 2nd half comeback and fireworks like explosion of Iron Bowl scoring the game had never previously seen with Alabama 55, Auburn 44.

Auburn will find it difficult to bust out for a long play from the line of scrimmage, since the Tide is ranked 2^nd in the country defending them and Auburn currently ranks near the bottom of the batch in making them.

 

The only stats that matter are on the scoreboard, right?

The Alabama Defense, currently 4th in the nation has been sensational in 2015.  They only allowed 16.4 points per game in the first 8 games this year, which ranks 13th in the nation.  Auburn is not scoring enough to win games and ranks near the bottom of the country in total offense.  Scoring could be tough for Auburn and scoring enough to win a monumental task.

Alabama is not exactly a scoring machine either, although ranked much higher than Auburn.  Meanwhile Auburn allows 29.4 points per game on average and will have a hard time stopping the Crimson Tide from rolling and scoring more than their season average, which is 33.5 points.

Based on the first part of the college football season, Alabama vs Auburn 2015 looks like a roughshod rolling by the Tide resulting in the biggest blowout ever.

 

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From our House United to you, Roll Tide and War Eagle!