AUBURN, Ala. – Winners of 10 of the 17 Iron Bowls played at Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn hosts No. 10 Alabama Saturday in the famed rivalry’s 90th meeting.
“It’s the greatest rivalry in college football,” Auburn interim head coach DJ Durkin said. “This rivalry run deep.”
In two games with offensive coordinator Derrick Nix calling plays, Auburn is averaging a league-best 50 points.
After freshman Deuce Knight accounted for six touchdowns against Mercer in his first start at quarterback, Ashton Daniels returns after sitting out last week to preserve his redshirt option.
“Let's really focus on what he does well,” said Durkin of Daniels’ 442-yard, four touchdown performance against Vanderbilt. “Let's focus on who he gets the ball to and make it about that. Credit again to our coaches and to Ashton for executing that. I thought they really did a good job."
With Auburn University students on Thanksgiving break, Durkin challenged the Tigers to display a “pro mindset,” prioritizing video study, rest, nutrition and time in the training room to give Auburn the best chance for success on Saturday.
“I think our leaders on our team are tremendous and they have challenged their teammates and everyone to stay where your feet are,” Durkin said. “Stay locked in. We're part of something bigger than ourselves, and we're going to be accountable.”
While Durkin spent time this week educating his team on the rivalry’s history, he refuses to let its significance distract from the preparation that leads to success.
“Our whole goal as a team is to go 1-0,” Durkin said of his one-practice-at-a-time approach. “That’s it. We’re focused on that, one day at a time. For our team, it would be a tremendous thing for our guys to come together and go accomplish that together.
“I think when you do it that way and handle it that way, more often than not you get the results that you want.”
Auburn (5-6, 1-6) plays No. 10 Alabama (9-2, 6-1) Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC and the Auburn Sports Network, where Andy Burcham, Jason Campbell and Ronnie Brown will bring the action to listeners.