AUBURN, Ala. – The Iron Bowl. There is no other rivalry like it in college football, maybe in all of sports. There's passion. There's intensity. There's drama. When Auburn and Alabama get together on the gridiron, you can expect a war.
Next Game:
vs. Alabama
Nov. 25, 2023
2:30 p.m. CT
TV: CBS
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
"You sure hope that if (our team) has any type of competitive spirit in them as an individual, they're going to shake off the cobwebs and get ready for this war that they're getting ready to go into, and it will be that," Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said.
For Freeze, this will be his first Iron Bowl. He had success against Alabama head coach Nick Saban while at Ole Miss, but this will be his first time facing the Crimson Tide as the head coach at Auburn.
For Luke Deal, this will be his fifth Iron Bowl. He was on the Auburn team in 2019 that knocked off No. 5 Alabama in a 48-45 thriller. He was on the Auburn team in 2021 that took No. 3 Alabama to four overtimes. He knows what this rivalry means. He knows what's at stake when these two in-state rivals play every year.
"It's something that you think about 365," Deal said. "This is the game that everybody thinks about in the offseason. When you're doing sprints, when you're lifting heavy weight, when you're about ready to pass out, your legs are cramping and you've got to lift a teammate up off the ground – you do it for this game, for this moment, for this Saturday.
"There are just so many people that care so much about this game that you can't go into it lightly. You have to realize exactly who you're doing it for, what's your why, and how much this place means to you – which for me, it means everything."
Deal will be one of 25 seniors recognized prior to Saturday's game. For those 25 seniors, this could very well be their final Iron Bowl, their last game in Jordan-Hare Stadium. It's a group that includes six fifth-year seniors who arrived at Auburn as part of the 2019 recruiting class. This will likely be their last home game together.
"We have such a special group, a group that has seen a lot of change since we've been here," Deal said. "Not only with coaching changes and this and that, but guys who have left in the transfer portal. We don't have that many people left from our class.
"It's just us locking arms together this week for this special game that means so much in that stadium with fans that are going to be going crazy the entire game for 60 minutes. It's going to be special for us."
Auburn and Alabama will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT from Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game will be televised on CBS with Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson and Jenny Dell on the call. You can also listen to Andy Burcham, Jason Campbell, Ronnie Brown and Will Herring who will have the radio call on 94.3 FM, online at AuburnTigers.com and on the Auburn app.
This week, fans attending the game are encouraged to wear navy.
Three questions with DB Zion Puckett
Q: How have you turned the page from last week and moved on?
A: On Monday, it was "Work Day Monday." It was getting the truth about what happened last Saturday and figuring out what we have to do to get better each and every day. I just feel like we have to go back to the little things. On Saturdays, the team that wins is always the team that prepares the most. Once you realize that and realize that you always have to do the little things, that will help you out.
Q: What does it mean to play in a rivalry game like this against Alabama?
A: It's a bittersweet moment because it's my last home game here. Fifth-year senior. Just having an opportunity to come to Auburn and experience everything Auburn provided for me – from different things I've been through, adversity – I feel like this game is something I'm going to remember forever because it's going to be my last game in Jordan-Hare.
Q: What do you remember from your first Iron Bowl in 2019?
A: That game was crazy. It was amazing. I didn't play a lot, I redshirted that year, but just having the chance to be around that brotherhood they built before I got here and being a part of that team made me understand you can be something someday. Having an opportunity to play in this game now a fourth time, I understand how important it is to the Auburn community.
Inside the Series: Alabama
In this 88th Iron Bowl, Auburn and Alabama will meet for the 76th consecutive year since 1948. Auburn trails the overall series by a 37-49-1 record but leads the Iron Bowl 17-13 when the game is played on campus, including a 10-6 mark in games played at Auburn. Before 1989, the series was primarily played in Birmingham (Alabama leads 36-20-1) and Montgomery (series tied 2-2).
Auburn has an all-time record of 53-70-7 in regular-season finales since 1892. The Tigers are 87-30-6 all-time in the final game played in Auburn each season.
By the Numbers
194.3: Establishing a ground game will be important against Alabama. Auburn currently ranks third in the SEC averaging 194.3 rushing yards per game and is fifth in the league with 19 rushing touchdowns this season.
1,000: Wide receiver Ja'Varrius Johnson caught two passes for 46 yards last week. His 46 yards put him over 1,000 career receiving yards. The fifth-year senior now has 271 receiving yards on the season and 1,038 for his career – all in the last three years.
17: Auburn had a 19-game streak of forcing at least one turnover snapped against New Mexico State. Since 2013, the Tigers are 72-37 when they force at least one turnover and 44-14 when they force multiple turnovers. They are tied with Arkansas for the SEC lead in turnovers forced this season with 17 (11 interceptions, 6 fumbles recovered).
86: Saturday's Iron Bowl will be the final regular season SEC game aired on CBS. Auburn has made 86 previous appearances on CBS and holds a 39-47 record. The first appearance came in the 1954 Gator Bowl where the Tigers beat Baylor 33-13.