The end of November is here and with it comes the annual Iron Bowl between the Tigers and the Tide.
Auburn (5-6, 2-5 SEC) will travel to Tuscaloosa to take on No. 1 Alabama (11-0, 7-0 SEC) in a rivalry game that has been one-sided during the last six years.
The Tide ranks top five in the SEC in several offensive categories under the command of new offensive coordinator Jim McElwain.
Senior quarterback John Parker Wilson has had a statistically much better season than his first two years as starter.
The undefeated Tide signal-caller has thrown for 1,775 yards and eight touchdowns, all while completing nearly 60 percent of his passes.
Alabama has the No. 1 rushing offense in the SEC, headed by running backs Glen Coffee and Mark Ingram.
Coffee has rushed for a team-high 1,112 yards on the season, with eight touchdowns and 6.1 yards per carry to his name.
Ingram has added an additional 631 yards on the ground, with a team-high nine rushing touchdowns this year.
At wide receiver, the Tide is headlined by freshman Julio Jones.
Jones is fourth in the SEC in receiving yards per game, averaging 62.5 yards. He has recorded four receiving touchdowns for Alabama.
The offensive line has been a point of strength for the Tide, providing holes for the running game and giving up just 15 sacks on the year.
Defense has statistically been a dominant aspect of the 2008 Tide team.
Bama ranks No. 1 overall in the SEC in total defense, giving up an average of just 12.5 points per contest.
The Tide’s rushing defense, ranked No. 1 in the SEC, is led by middle linebacker Rolando McClain, who leads the team in tackles with 77 on the season.
Bama also has the No. 1 SEC pass defense, limiting opponents to just more than 50 percent completed passes.
The secondary responsible for the elite defensive numbers is led by safety Rashad Johnson.
Johnson has five interceptions, one sack, five tackles for loss and is second on the team in total tackles with 68.
Johnson is backed up by Justin Woodall, who has recorded four inteceptions as well this season.
The Tide also has a true freshman on the defensive side of the ball that is making waves in the SEC.
Linebacker Donta Hightower is third on the team in tackles as a freshman, with 2.5 tackles for loss and two recovered fumbles so far this season.
Arguably the Tide’s biggest position improvement on defense has been at noseguard.
Junior college transfer Terrence Cody weighs more than 350 pounds and has demanded a double-team block throughout the season.
Bobby Greenwood and Brandon Deaderick lead the team in sacks with 3.5 sacks a piece.
Bama, under second-year head coach Nick Saban, had gone 6-6 in the previous two regular seasons. Saban’s 2007 squad lost the Iron Bowl at Jordan-Hare.
The all-time series between Auburn and Alabama is 38-33-1 in favor of the Tide, with Auburn winning seven of the last 10 and riding a six-game winning streak in the rivalry.
Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville has lost the Iron Bowl twice since his career began at Auburn, and Auburn has never lost the Iron Bowl at Tuscaloosa since it was moved from Legion Field.
The Iron Bowl will kick off at 2:30 p.m. and will be televised live by CBS.
