It’s that time of rivalry again.
Today, the Alabama Crimson Tide travels to Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., to face the Auburn Tigers in a night game. Yea! (said with both sarcastic and sardonic tones).
As an Alabama fan, there’s almost nothing I look forward to less. In fact, I welcome root canals and acid reflux with more joy and gladness than an Iron Bowl at Jordan-Hare Stadium. No, sugarplums are not dancing in my head as I consider today’s game, and I suspect there’ll be no less histrionics and theater than if Barnum & Bailey’s outfit came to town.
Oh, how I long for a 31-7 Zow-zers of a game like we had in 2001! Oh, how I long for our Ty to carve up the Auburn secondary as if it were a Thanksgiving turkey!
Will it happen? Time will tell.
Look, I’m old school—okay? I grew up attending Iron Bowls at Legion Field in Birmingham. Those immortal contests are seared into my memory like a Perry’s steak, and I submit the game (The Iron Bowl) was never bigger when those two titans of pigskin clashed in The Magic City.
But since 1993 (the first game was actually in 1989), Alabama has had to make this pilgrimage to The Plains. Every. Other. Year.
I suppose it’s fair, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
After all, “going down there” isn’t fun. Even Saban the Great struggled at Jordan-Hare, and besides 2011, his wins were not exactly woodshed jobs, if you ask me. Here are all five of them:
2009 Alabama 26, Auburn 21
2011 Alabama 42, Auburn 14
2015 Alabama 29, Auburn 13
2021 Alabama 24, Auburn 22
2023 Alabama 27, Auburn 24
Let’s face it: it’s tough to win in the “Haunted Mansion.” It’s even tougher in The Iron Bowl.
Credit to Auburn. As good as Alabama was during the Saban era, Auburn won two games in a row at Jordan-Hare in 2017 and 2019 and was only 7 points away from making it four in a row on the Plains. That didn’t happen, of course, but I share that to underscore the razor-thin nature of these contests in recent years.
Can Alabama win today? Absolutely. Do I feel good about it? Absolutely not.
There’s a narrative going around that Alabama plays “tight” at Jordan-Hare Stadium, and Auburn, oftentimes with nothing to lose, plays “loosey-goosey” and throws everything but the kitchen sink at the Crimson Tide. I hope this isn’t the case. I hope Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide called a team meeting this week, locked the doors behind them, and said, “Boys, we’re not leaving this room until we decide we are going down there to get a victory on Saturday.”
Business trip.
Alabama will be arriving at the Voodoo Venue the better team and the betting favorite on Saturday. That does not mean the Crimson Tide is guaranteed a win, however. Historically, one could make the case that Alabama had the better team in 1989, 1995, 2005, 2013 (yes, I just said that), 2017, and 2019—but failed to win at Jordan-Hare.
Which begs the questions, “What will it take for the 2025 iteration of Alabama to be different than its predecessors?” and, “Does this team possess the requisite chutzpah to go down to Auburn snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat?”
Because, let’s be real: the wackiness is always at a fever pitch at Auburn. For just a moment, let’s review the crazy stuff that’s happened over the years:
– 1989. In the first Iron Bowl to be played in Auburn, and undefeated Alabama team marched into Jordan-Hare and got beat 30-20.
– 1995. This was back when there was no replay review, but a still shot photograph circulating the internet shows Curtis Brown catching the go-ahead touchdown from quarterback Freddie Kitchens in the back of the end zone. Instead, the pass was ruled incomplete, and Alabama lost, 31-27.
– 1997. Alabama, up 17-6 and in a position to rescue its season from the quagmire, lost on a Jaret Holmes fourth quarter field goal. Auburn 18, Alabama 17.
– 2009. Auburn (7-4 at the time) raced out to a 14-0 lead against one of the greatest teams in Alabama football history and nearly spoiled the Crimson Tide’s championship run. It took a Greg McElroy-to-Roy-Upchurch pass with 1:24 left in the game to propel the Tide to a 26-21 victory.
– 2013. Kick-Six. That’s it. That’s all that needs to be said.
– 2017. Do you remember what happened this year? Alabama won the national championship (in one of the most iconic plays in Crimson Tide history, Tua Tagovailoa connected with DeVonta Smith to beat Georgia in the natty, 26-23). What happened a month-and-a-half prior? Alabama laid an egg in Jordan-Hare 26-14 and could barely score.
– 2019. Yes, LSU won the national title that year, but Alabama was plenty good, too, losing only to the Bengal Tigers before marching into Jordan-Hare with playoff hopes high. But that was not to be, as Auburn won 48-45. ‘Bama kicker Joseph Bulovas hit the upright with the game-tying field goal attempt with 2:00 left in the game.
– 2023. It only took a desperation 31-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Milroe to Isaiah Bond in the corner of the end zone (did I mention the pass was completed when it was 4th-and-31??) with 0:32 left to defeat a 6-5 Auburn team.
Perhaps the “Hare” in Jordan-Hare symbolizes the rabbit Auburn always tries to pull out of its hat in The Iron Bowl. And in more times than I’d like to count, it does.
Now, I realize I’ve been a bit negative in this essay and “Debbie Downer” toward this discussion, so let’s conclude by giving five reasons Alabama can win on Saturday:
1. Better Quarterback Play. Ty Simpson is having a great year, and Alabama has a better, more experienced quarterback under center.
2. Auburn’s Pass Defense. Auburn is 100th in the country in pass defense, allowing 239.6 yards per game.
3. Alabama’s Receiving Corps. Bernard, Williams, & Horton (sounds like a law firm) have combined for 1,657 yards and 15 touchdowns on the season. The Tide will be without the services of TE Josh Cuevas, so Kaleb Edwards and Marshall Pritchett will have to step up in his absence.
4. Kalen DeBoer. When it’s all said and done, I don’t think Kalen DeBoer will have a statue outside Bryant-Denny Stadium, but in terms of Saturday’s coaching matchup, I think Alabama has the edge. DeBoer is more experienced as a head coach, and that could factor into the game. I’m not saying he’s the second coming of Vince Lombardi, but coaching experience could make a slight difference on Saturday.
5. Daniel Hill. Backup running back Kevin Riley is listed as ‘out’ for the Auburn game, so it’s time for Daniel Hill to shine. A physical specimen standing at 6’1” and 244 lbs., Hill, a Meridian, Miss., native, looks the part. He has five touchdowns this season and could play a critical role while platooning with starter Jam Miller. Look for him to have a big play or two.
I conclude with this prescient thought/question: Not to get too religious, but generally speaking, how do you ward off hexes? Through faith, and Alabama will need plenty of it tonight.
Faith in itself. Faith in each other. Faith that all this “voodoo” talk is all just a bunch of hullabaloo.
Perhaps Alabama should consider that maybe—just maybe—the woes it has experienced at Jordan-Hare might have more to do with its own undoing than the hex of a spooked venue. Or that somehow, the 4th-and-31 in 2023 messed up Auburn’s mojo.
After all, curses can always be reversed. TG
