Alabama Football: 2019 season preview Week 14 versus Auburn
Auburn has had a tumultuous offseason filled with transfers and speculation about the future of their head coach, but a good showing against Alabama football could be just what Malzahn and company need to quiet the critics.
The Iron Bowl is still the gold standard for college football rivalries. Other fans across the country try to say every year they have the best rivalry, but we know the truth. ESPN doesn’t make movies about Michigan vs. Ohio State or Texas vs. Oklahoma. There is nothing quite like watching Auburn football vs. Alabama football.
So, what can we expect from the big game this year?
Auburn had somewhat of an embarrassing offseason, especially at the beginning. They lost former 4-star in-state RB Asa Martin to Miami after what can only be described as a debacle.
Suffice it to say that Asa Martin felt misled by the Auburn coaching staff (because they inadvertently burned his redshirt) and no longer thought Auburn was the best place for him to play. They are going to miss Martin in the coming years. I was lucky enough to be able to watch him play in high school and he was the most talented back I’ve seen in Alabama High School Football in recent years.
Aside from the rough start to the offseason for Auburn they did sign the 11th best recruiting class according to 247sports. Their 2019 class included two 5-stars in QB Bo Nix and LB Owen Pappoe.
The Bo Nix signing was big for Auburn as they need to find a replacement for the outgoing Jarrett Stidham. The Auburn offense struggled all season in 2018. They never could find consistency and struggled through a 7-5 regular season.
Then, surprisingly, they were able to figure it out in the bowl game against Purdue. They dropped 56 points in the first half en route to a blowout victory in the Music City Bowl.
That is about the only good thing you can say about the 2018 Auburn squad. After what appeared at the time to be a big opening win against Washington in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game, they struggled in a loss to LSU and had to hold off a comeback attempt by Southern Miss. A game in which they only manage 24 points.
Then the roller coaster began.
They dropped two straight. One to Mississippi State (who also struggled on offense all season), and the other against a 5 win Tennessee in Jordan-Hare.
It looked like the ship would be righted and the season salvaged after beating Ole Miss easily and pulling off an upset against Texas A&M, but the Tigers ended their season losing two of three to Georgia and Bama. Neither game was particularly close.
The key to Auburn’s season in 2019 is going to be quarterback play. There is a QB battle down on The Plains. It looks like it will come down to the aforementioned Bo Nix and Joey Gatewood, with Nix being the favorite in analyst circles.
Although QB play is important the Auburn offense relies heavily on the running game. They return JaTarvious Whitlow and most of the offensive line so I look for them to rely heavily on the run early in the season until the QB situation is locked down.
The Tiger’s biggest strength this season may be on the defensive side of the ball. They return a good group of DBs. Losing only one of the 5 starters from last season. They also get star DT Derrick Brown back on what looks to be a strong front 4.
The only place Auburn may see some dip in production is from the Linebackers. They lost the three top starters but did get one of the top LB prospects in the country in Owen Pappoe. He will likely see some meaningful playing time early in his career.
What does this all mean for the Iron Bowl? For me, this has the feel of being one of the toughest games on the Alabama football schedule in 2019. Assuming Nix wins the starting job they will have a young QB but he will have essentially a full season under his belt by the time the Iron Bowl rolls around.
The defense, which was already formidable in 2018, will likely be better this season especially in the secondary. I still don’t think they have the talent to contain the likes of Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III, Jaylen Waddle, Devonta Smith, Najee Harris, and of course Tua Tagovailoa for 4 quarters.
I expect Alabama to run the ball early and wear down that defense. Then in the second half, it will be a heavy dose of Tua and those monsters at WR.
The 2019 Iron Bowl is going to be another great installment in the historic rivalry. Auburn is going to play tough, but at the end of the day Alabama simply has more talent and more experience and that will carry the day.
Next. One up, one down and one second-chance. dark
Here is a list of our previews of every game on the Alabama football schedule in 2019.