Auburn vs. Alabama: 8 Ways the Tigers Can Neutralize the Crimson Tide

On Saturday, the 7-4 (4-3 SEC) No. 24 Auburn Tigers will host the 10-1 (6-1 SEC) No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide in Jordan-Hare Stadium in the 76^th meeting between the two SEC  and in-state rivals. This season is the third consecutive year that national title aspirations hang in the balance.

The Tigers have been anything but a picture of consistency this season, with all four losses being complete blowouts, while their wins looked to be well-planned and hard-fought. For the Tigers to have a chance, they have to stay disciplined and not force plays. The Tigers also need to have great ball control.

Alabama will be ready to play, as Auburn's come-from-behind victory last season has left a glaring focus and drive for the current Tide team. Add to that the possibility at a BCS national title berth, and the Crimson Tide will be looking for a victory.

As the Tigers prepare to host the No. 2 team in the country this week, here are eight ways the Tigers can neutralize the Tide this Saturday. 

Bring a Consistent Pass Rush

Auburn has struggled to find consistency this season on its defensive line. There have been times when the Tigers' front has been very explosive, but for the majority of plays, the Tigers have had a difficult time breaking off blocks.

The Tigers will be facing one of the best offensive fronts in the country this week, so they must be more explosive and quick off of the ball. If they are engaged consistently, they will not make it to the quarterback. This young line has not shown the ability to break off blocks once they are engaged, no matter the level of competition.

Auburn will need to find a way to break loose and hit the quarterback early and often. Alabama's A.J. McCarron has shown signs of inaccuracy this season. Adding pressure to the mix will undoubtedly add to his inaccuracy and should help to produce some turnovers for the Tigers secondary.

Auburn will also need to bring blitzes from the outside and the secondary, adding more bodies in the box than the Alabama offense can block. If they do peel up on the secondary to bring pressure, they have to maintain tight coverage on the outside and not allow themselves to be taken out of the play like they did against Georgia.

Create Confusion in the Backfield

Alabama has one of the best defenses in the country. The Alabama defense is known for its unique mix of size and speed that they bring to the field. They are assignment and alignment sound, which makes it a difficult endeavor to find open space in the defense.

One way that the Tigers may be able to find room is with backfield confusion. The Tigers' offense has used a multitude of sweeps and motion sets in the past, but this season has seen a major reduction in those types of play calls. Implementing that change for this game could help the Tigers find some extra yards.

Even though the Alabama defense is fast and assignment sound, their aggression may be a point of exploitation. With the lack of consistent blocking on the outside this season, confusion may be their only option. 

Use Multiplicity on Offense

Auburn really opened up the playbook this past weekend and used various under-center-type formations against Samford. It may have been a way to control the clock and use the power running style of Michael Dyer to churn tough yards, or it could have been a glimpse at what is to come.

The Auburn coaching staff know that Alabama will be keying on consistencies that are found in Auburn’s play-calling. For instance, this season has seen an increase in a delay draw on long third downs from the shotgun. But what if Auburn opened the game in a pro-style set and ran play-action for the first drive?

What if the Tigers used their second drive to run off-set I formations and tried to line up and run downhill? There has to be a level of multiplicity that the Tigers will bring to this grand stage to stay alive throughout the game. Slowing down the game may also be a goal for the offense. At this point, using multiple sets seems like a logical and practical solution to keeping the Tide on their toes this Saturday. 

Rely on Downhill Rushing Attack

This may seem like an odd goal for the Tigers considering their opponent, but Auburn has had very little success at finding open rushing lanes on the outside of the defense this season. The Tigers had to rely heavily on pulling guards in the outside rushing game, and their interior linemen look to be just a step slow making it to the outside blocks.

If the Tigers are able to line up in more traditional sets and gain some level of push, Auburn should be able to run clock and churn up some tough yards with Michael Dyer. If this proves ineffective, the Tigers may be in for a long day.

Being able to run inside will also free up some of the outside rushing lanes for speed sweeps or option plays. Drawing in the fourth linebacker must be a goal if Auburn expects to be successful outside. Alabama's defense has shown that it can leave rushing lanes open as the unit struggled to defend the triple option against Georgia Southern last week. 

Test the Deep Ball

Clint Moseley has shown that he has the arm strength to make virtually any throw that he will be asked to make in his college career. There have been times of brilliance, and his deep ball has at times been spot on where only his receiver could catch it.

Despite his arm strength and subsequent accuracy, he hasn’t been able to make throws when they count in the big game yet. A number of times there simply hasn’t been enough protection for Moseley to make the throw. Other times, he looks to be second guessing his decision to let the ball go.

Whatever the issues that Auburn has had getting the ball downfield, there needs to be more than one attempt this Saturday, maybe even starting the game with a play-action pass that goes deep. Even if the Tigers don’t connect often, simply showing the willingness to make that throw will earn defensive respect and keep the Tide honest in the secondary. It should also help the Tigers avoid an overload of blitz calls. 

Force Alabama to Pass

For the most part, A.J. McCarron has been efficient with his throws and consistent with his reads while consistently finding the right guy throughout the season. However, there have been occasions that his accuracy has been suspect.

There have been multiple times this season that he hasn’t been able to land the football in his receiver’s wheelhouse, and extra yardage has been missed. There hasn’t been a single game that McCarron has been forced to win himself, outside of the loss to LSU.

Granted, LSU has one of the best defenses in the country, so assuming that Auburn will have the same success would be a ridiculous claim. There are things these Tigers could have picked up, however, and do have the ability to implement in their game plan.

If the Tigers can keep pressure on McCarron and force the Tide to put the game in McCarron’s hands, they have a legitimate shot at pulling off the upset. 

Swarm the Football

There is absolutely no logical way for the Tigers to completely neutralize the Alabama rushing attack. Trent Richardson has proven that he is a workhorse that hunts contact and breaks tackles consistently. What the Tigers must do is surround the football and gang-tackle the Alabama running backs.

What the Tigers lack in pure tackling ability can be overcome by sheer bodies at the point of contact. There won’t be missed tackles that go unnoticed in this game. If Auburn is forced to make single contact on the ball carrier, specifically Richardson, they will see numerous plays go past the initial point of contact.

Getting the Tigers to find the football and keeping Richardson and Lacy from hitting the second and third levels of the defense will be the only way the Tigers will survive the bruising downhill rushing attack of the Tide. 

Play More Physical

Auburn has had a real issue with playing physical this season. The offensive and defensive lines have been a real issue in this area. It seems like a simple concept, but there has to be a different level of angry in the trenches, and the Tigers haven’t shown it.

This game will be a nasty, hard-fought game. If the Tigers aren’t aggressive, especially in the trenches, they will get plowed over by this veteran Crimson Tide football team. Auburn needs to find a different level if they want to make this a game worth writing about in the Iron Bowl history books.

Having the chance to spoil another national title chance for the Tide in three years should be enough to fuel the fire.