Why Auburn fans should have hope for the Iron Bowl
It’s been four years since the Auburn Tigers defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Iron Bowl. Here are some reasons fans should believe they can do it again:
1. Hugh Freeze's history against Nick Saban and Alabama
Only eight active head coaches in college football have at least once victory over Saban since he took over the Crimson Tide in 2007, and Freeze is one of them – defeating Alabama twice over the 2014-15 season. Both those wins were early in Freeze's tenure with Ole Miss, and now, he's early in his tenure on the Plains.
Freeze has years of experience in the SEC, knows how the league works and has the luxury of having coaching experience against Saban – something that many first-year head coaches in the SEC don't get.
2. Freeze's experience as a big underdog
According to the sports book at USA Today, the Tigers are 14.5-point underdogs for this year's Iron Bowl. While Auburn is projected to lose by just over two touchdowns, this isn't the first time a Freeze led team has been heavy underdogs and nearly or outright won.
Just earlier this season Georgia was favored by 14.5 against Auburn, but the game came down to the final drives. While the Bulldogs prevailed, it took some incredible catches from tight end Brock Bowers to carry Georgia to a victory in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Freeze was also on the short end of the betting odds a couple times at Liberty. In November 2020, Freeze and his Liberty Flames went on the road as 17-point underdogs to face Virginia Tech. However, the Flames left Lane Stadium as a three-point winner thanks to a game-winning, 51-yard field goal and a fourth quarter that saw Freeze's offense score 17 points.
Similarly, Liberty was a 14.5-point underdog last season on the road against Arkansas, yet the Flames came out victorious in a 21-19 win. All that to say, being a heavy underdog is not a new thing for Freeze, and he has history of picking up monumental wins even when he isn't supposed to.
3. Forget last week's result
Auburn's loss to New Mexico State last week is arguably the worst loss in Auburn football history. However, the loss is in the past and instead of dwelling on it, the Tigers should think back to what they did well over the three-week span that saw them win three consecutive games over SEC opponents.
It goes without saying that Auburn cannot play the same way it did against New Mexico State if it wants to beat Alabama. If Auburn wants to pull off the shocking upset, it's not only going to have to retool its offense, defense and special teams back to the way they performed over the three-game winning streak, but even better as Alabama is much more talented than Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Arkansas.
4. The magic of Jordan-Hare Stadium
Even after a shocking loss last week, you can bet that Jordan-Hare Stadium will still be packed out, ready to cheer on the Tigers just a couple days after Thanksgiving. In the 2021-22 season under first-year head coach Bryan Harsin, Auburn was nosediving with a thee-game losing streak on its hands and had just suffered a bad loss to 5-6 South Carolina the week before the Iron Bowl.
However, the stands were still filled with orange and blue, and the environment of the game, which undoubtedly motivated the players, led the Tigers to a near victory over a 10-1 Alabama team that ended in a two-point loss after four overtimes.
In six of the last seven games of the Iron Bowl at Jordan-Hare Stadium, we've seen games head into the fourth quarter with Auburn either winning or trailing by just one possession. Crazy, unexplainable things happen when the Iron Bowl is on the Plains. It's evident with improbable endings like the "Kick Six" in 2013 that saw Chris Davis return a missed field goal with one second left 109 yards for a walk-off touchdown.
The 2017 rout over the Tide to win the SEC West and the late missed field goal from Alabama in the 2019 Iron Bowl that saw a freshman quarterback knock off Saban and the Tide are two more recent examples.
Though the "experts" say Auburn's chances are slim, Auburn fans know not to lose hope. In a rivalry where one second can change the outcome of a game, it is always unwise to count Auburn out.
With a coach who has proven he can beat Alabama and the magical advantage Auburn has at Jordan-Hare Stadium, the Auburn Family just needs to believe in its team and maybe, just maybe, there will be a celebration like no other at Toomer's Corner on Saturday night.
