Iron Bowl 2011: 5 Reasons Why Auburn Could Take Out Alabama

Next weekend at 3:30 pm eastern time will be the the 76th annual Iron Bowl between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers.

Alabama is a near lock to be ranked second in the country assuming LSU does not lose to Ole Miss. Plus, the Tide have been rolling teams with great defenses since their loss to LSU.

In fact, the only team that has scored more than 14 points on the vaunted Crimson Tide defense was Georgia Southern today.

Alabama allowed 21 points in their 24-point victory, and Auburn took care of Samford pulling away late to win 35-16.

With that said, there are five legitimate reasons why Auburn can pull off the upset against Alabama next Saturday.

Explosive Backfield

Michael Dyer is among the best home run hitters in the SEC as well as in all of college football.

Despite toting the rock just nine times for 27 yards last season, he has been a stud this season for the Tigers. The kid is a freak and a possible/likely future All-American.

Onterio McCalebb, though not as consistent as Dyer, has still been a factor in the majority of their games. Auburn is at its best when McCalebb busts off a huge gain on a jet sweep or toss to the outside. He has elite speed for a tailback and can take it to the house on any given play if he can break one key tackle or get an extra block.

Alabama is "all that" defensively, but they did just allow 302 yards rushing to FCS heavyweight Georgia Southern. Sure, the starters did not play a ton of snaps for four quarters (they sub a lot), but it took a late pick in the end zone by DeQuan Menzie to put the game away for the Crimson Tide.

A.J. McCarron

A.J. McCarron has been a solid game manager for the Alabama Crimson Tide, but going into the Georgia Southern game he had thrown an interception in each of the last three games. 

He threw a crucial pick to LSU (which some still argue), as well as one to Tennessee before that and Mississippi State after their "Game of the Century."

If Auburn can find a way to get to the Crimson Tide signal caller or at least confuse the third-year sophomore, there is a chance for Auburn to pull off this upset. 

Rivalry

We know Alabama will have redemption and revenge on their minds since they blew a 24-0 lead to Auburn last season. Plus, the past two BCS national champions are these teams, and the past two losers have allowed their hated rivals to go on and hold that shiny, crystal ball.

Most understand the true meaning of rivalry games and the amount of energy that is put in the entire week and arguably the entire season for these two programs. The players normally respect each other, but the two fanbases cannot stand each other.

Nothing beats knocking off your enemies, especially if Auburn could prevent the Crimson Tide from playing in the BCS National Championship.

We've heard the old saying "throw out the records and everything going on because as soon as the two rivals face off, anything can happen." 

That's certainly true for their upcoming matchup.

Note: Auburn has won seven of the last nine meetings

Corey Lemonier

Mr. Lemonier has the makings of becoming a First Team All-SEC selection—and don't forget he is just a sophomore!

Lemonier has 12.5 tackles for losses and 8.5 sacks while also picking up 15 quarterback hurries. The youngster has been one of the best pass-rushers in the entire nation and Auburn could make this Alabama team one-dimensional if the defensive end can go bonkers against the terrific Alabama tackles (D.J. Fluker & Barrett Jones).

If Alabama cannot throw the ball, it might not take much time before the safeties load up the box and play their best game of the season in slowing Trent Richardson down.

Gene Chizik

This Auburn squad already clinched a bowl game several weeks ago, and they really have nothing to lose since all the "experts" will be taking the Tide.

Nick Saban and Alabama get all the hype since they have been one of the more dominant teams in the BCS the past few years.

However, Auburn can use the "us against the world" mentality since nobody will be expecting a victory outside of the Tigers themselves.

This is where Chizik and Guz Malzahn step in. The two of them together have come up with tremendous game plans against elite opponents and I would not be shocked if they pull off a few trick plays that keep them in the game for a full four quarters.

Clint Moseley needs to play mistake-free football, there is no doubt about it. He is a capable quarterback and has solid options in Emory Blake, Philip Lutzenkirchen, Travante Stallworth and Quindarius Carr.

It is imperative Auburn wins the turnover battle and it will not be easy since Alabama has only turned it over 11 times this season. That said, expect the unexpected between two teams that have given us many fond memories in the past.