Players to watch, keys to victory: Alabama

On the heels of a three-game losing streak, Auburn is one win above .500 and is about to face the No. 3 team in the nation. 

Alabama comes to town for the Iron Bowl on Saturday, riding a six-game winning streak and only one three-point loss on the season. This will be head coach Bryan Harsin’s first Iron Bowl and Auburn’s first Iron Bowl without Bo Nix since 2018.  

Auburn has nothing to lose, but the Crimson Tide have everything on the line.  

Here are some players to watch and keys for each team to find a win in arguably college football’s most exciting game of the year.  

Auburn 

T.J. Finley 

This one is not surprising, but Finley will have to play better than he did last week if Auburn is going to win. Finley was fairly pedestrian against South Carolina, a far worse team than Alabama. Finley led Auburn to 17 total points in a losing effort against the Gamecocks. 

Simply put, that will not get it done against the Crimson Tide. Finley clearly has a connection with his receivers, and the good faith of the players and coaches and he is going to have to utilize that to get Auburn in the endzone. Finley is going to have to use his 6-foot-7 frame to push some piles and shake off a tackle or 10. 

This will be his first Iron Bowl and he is surely being thrown into the fire. The sophomore quarterback is probably going to throw 40 times Saturday and he will need to complete close to 30 or more of those passes if Auburn is going to keep this close. Finley is going to have to channel that magic he had from Georgia State. 

Ben Patton 

This one may be a little more surprising, but Patton could have a huge impact Saturday if Auburn’s offense stalls. Patton, the lefty backup kicker, has been thrust into action after Anders Carlson went down against Mississippi State. 

Patton hit one of his two-field goal attempts last week and hit all his extra points. However, his one miss was from 25-yards out. If Auburn’s offense stalls past the 50, Patton is going to have to nail his kicks to keep Auburn competitive. 

Football is all about scoring points after all, a fact that has befallen the Auburn offense as of late, and Patton is going to be crucial to putting numbers on the scoreboard. 

Alabama 

Bryce Young 

Alabama’s quarterback is the Heisman frontrunner and it is easy to see why. Young has over 3,500 yards on the season which is good for seventh-most nationally. His 38 touchdowns are tied for second-most nationally and he has only thrown three interceptions. He is also posting the second-best QBR nationally. Safe to say, Young will be the toughest quarterback Auburn has faced. 

Most quarterbacks steer clear of throwing at Auburn’s Roger McCreary and it makes sense if the freshman Young will do the same. If Auburn runs the drop-back zone the team tends to run, Young could have well over 300 yards passing. He and Finley are both drop back gunslingers, and it will be a battle of the arms between the two young signal callers. 

Will Anderson Jr. and Henry To’oto’o  

Good luck to any offensive line trying to block these two guys. To’oto’o leads Alabama in tackles with 84 and Anderson leads the team in sacks with a hefty 13.5. That is solid production. These two linebackers can fly around the field and make plays just about anywhere. 

Anderson will likely be a first-round draft pick in the NFL and To’oto’o could be as well when all is said and done. Auburn has a notoriously porous offensive line and these two will take advantage of that, flying to the quarterback again and again. 

Nick Saban will try to rush Finley heavy and often, as flustering a young quarterback will likely force him into mistakes or turnovers. These two will be a big part of Alabama’s defensive game plan, as they are every week.  

Keys To Victory 

Auburn 

Keep Finley protected. That is easier said than done, but that is crucial. Auburn has had trouble scoring points as of late, and that fact has been very well documented. If Auburn can at least give Finley an extra second or two with tight ends blocking or having Jarquez Hunter hit someone in the hole to protect his quarterback, Auburn might just stand a chance. 

Luke Deal is going to have to make some big blocks, and John Samuel Shenker is going to as well. If Auburn can stop Anderson and the Alabama defense on a handful of drives, and the team gets at least three points out of it, who knows what can happen in Jordan-Hare in late November.  

Alabama  

Be Alabama. Don’t get too excited about the Iron Bowl and don’t look past Auburn just because of Auburn’s recent struggles. Nick Saban himself has struggled in Jordan-Hare and Saturday could be a bit of the same. 

Do not look past Tank Bigsby and Finley. Anything can happen on Saturday and plenty of Iron Bowl games have shown that to be true. All it takes is one single second for the fate of this game to completely change. But if Alabama plays its game the way everyone in the country knows they can, it will be just fine.