Reese Dismukes had heard it all week.
"Auburn is going to have a hard time running it against Alabama."
"They've got the No. 1 rushing defense in the country."
"Auburn must be able to throw the ball against Alabama to win the game."
After wading through the sea of orange and blue after the Tigers' 34-28 upset victory against No. 1 Alabama, Dismukes had a message to those who doubted Auburn's rushing attack.
"I think we just shot all those people in the face," Dismukes said. "Maybe we'll finally get some credit for running the ball."
Although Auburn's special teams game finished the game in style, the Tigers' success running the football set the table for a historic victory.
"First of all, they are a great run defense, but we felt like for us to win, we had to run it," said Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn. "Our mindset was to run the football. I didn't want to change anything -- I wanted to do what got us here."
Auburn ran for 296 yards and two touchdowns against the Alabama defense, which averaged allowing 91 rushing yards per game in their 11 straight victories to open their quest for a third consecutive BCS National Championship.
Quarterback Nick Marshall, who finished with 126 yards on 17 carries, opened the day's scoring with a 45-yard touchdown run through the heart of Alabama's defense. The dual-threat signal caller went untouched on the run, which was Auburn's first offensive touchdown against Alabama since Cam Newton's game-winning touchdown pass to Philip Lutzenkirchen in the 2010 Iron Bowl.
After Alabama tied the game early in the second quarter, the momentum went straight to Alabama thanks to a fumble by junior running back Tre Mason. The Crimson Tide scored again with the short field and registered another touchdown for 21 unanswered points.
"That was a mistake on my part, but I knew we had to bounce back," Mason said. "Get six. Find a way around somebody, through somebody -- just find a way."
The Tigers bounced back right before the second half. Marshall came close to a 16-yard score on a lightning fast, run-only drive, but he was ruled out at the one-yard line after a replay review.
It did not matter to the Auburn offense.
Mason pounded the ball in on the next play, and Auburn was able to tie the game early in the third quarter.
Auburn chalked up 296 rushing yards by the final whistle, which was the most given up by Alabama in Nick Saban's career in Tuscaloosa.
The Tide defense had not given up two rushing touchdowns in one game all season. The most rushing yards it had given up prior to the Iron Bowl was 165 against Arkansas -- a mark Auburn was three yards from at halftime.
"It was a statement," Dismukes said. "We were able to run it well against those guys. They came in only giving up 91 yards or something like that. We put up 296 on them. We just played their game, and it worked out for us."
For the Auburn running backs, the success on the ground against Alabama came with extra motivation.
Opelika native Corey Grant, who started his career at Alabama before transferring in 2011, got the first carry of the game for the Tigers. He was on the sidelines wearing crimson during Auburn's 2010 Iron Bowl victory in Tuscaloosa, and he was on the sidelines wearing navy during Alabama's two blowout wins in 2011 and 2012.
"It's a great feeling," Grant said. "With this being the year I could actually contribute to the team and actually play, it was a great feeling to win this one."
And Mason's father, a member of the rap group De La Soul, was in the stands for Auburn's miraculous victory. It was the first time all season that he was able to watch his son play live.
"I played for him tonight," Mason said. "I put on a good show for him. I ran angry and with passion. I ran with emotion and figured out a way."
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