Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper (9) avoids the tackle from Western Carolina defensive back A.J. McKoy (30) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Cooper limped off the field after an injury on the play.There has been great anticipation for Saturday night's Iron Bowl ever since Auburn cornerback Chris Davis raced the length of the field last November to deliver the Tigers to a stunning 34-28 triumph at a delirious Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The Crimson Tide and Tigers appeared to daydream about their impending rematch in Tuscaloosa for much of this past weekend instead of focusing on their tasks at hand. Alabama and Auburn fell behind Championship Subdivision opponents Saturday before regrouping and pulling away, with the Tide downing Western Carolina 48-14 and the Tigers dumping Samford 31-7.
"We were as flat as a pancake when we went out there today, so I didn't do a very good job," Alabama coach Nick Saban said Saturday night in a news conference. "I really thought our guys practiced pretty well all week and really tried to keep focus. They tried to keep the momentum of what we've been doing, but when we went out there for pregame warmups today, I was really surprised we didn't have a little more energy and a little more juice than we did.
"We had to play our way into it."
Alabama head coach Nick Saban argues with an official during their game against Western Carolina on Nov. 22, 2014, at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Alabama won 48-14.Western Carolina marched 75 yards on its opening possession to grab a 7-0 lead, and the Catamounts were down just 17-14 midway through the second quarter before Alabama erupted.
Auburn was shut out in the first quarter against Samford, and the Tigers went nearly 80 minutes without a score dating back to the first quarter of its loss at Georgia. Samford struck first midway through the second quarter to go up 7-0, but Auburn answered with a three-play, 73-yard touchdown drive and wound up leading 17-7 at halftime.
"They knew a couple of our plays early, so we've got to do a better job of dealing with that and disguising that," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said in his news conference. "We finally got into a rhythm in the second quarter, and we're a rhythm offense. After that point, we played pretty solid."
Alabama (10-1, 6-1 SEC) was ranked No. 1 Sunday in the USA Today coaches poll and No. 2 in the Associated Press poll behind Florida State. Auburn (8-3, 4-3) is now 15th in the AP poll and 16th in the USA Today poll.
The Crimson Tide wound up with 612 yards Saturday while holding WCU to 213, and several players afterward already had turned their attention to Saturday's showdown on ESPN.
"It's no secret how big of a game this is for us -- the tradition, the whole community," cornerback Cyrus Jones said. "It's just big for us to come in and prepare like we are supposed to and then come out and put a good effort on the field."
Said linebacker Reggie Ragland: "If you're a competitor, you're going to think about it, but if you're a competitor, you're going to go through the necessary steps until the time comes."
Alabama opened Sunday afternoon as a 7-point favorite. By Sunday night, the line had moved to 9.5.
Given that Auburn was knocked out of the championship picture both nationally and within the league earlier this month, the Tigers have been relegated to a spoiler role. It's not the label they had been hoping for as the defending SEC champions.
"I'm not going to say we would just decline the role," Auburn defensive lineman Gabe Wright told reporters Saturday night. "It is what it is. They're No. 1. They clearly deserve it. It's Alabama, and if they're No. 1, let's knock them off."
One of numerous storylines this week will be the health of Alabama junior receiver Amari Cooper and Auburn junior receiver Duke Williams. Cooper bruised his knee against Western Carolina, but Saban said he could have returned to the game.
Auburn has played its last two games without Williams due to a knee injury he suffered against Texas A&M. Malzahn said he expected to have Williams back this Saturday but that he wasn't ready to "make that call."
Tide tidbits
Alabama has reached the 10-win milestone for the seventh consecutive season, extending a program record that was set last year. ... The Crimson Tide held Western Carolina to minus-8 rushing yards, marking the 17th time in Alabama history that an opponent had negative yards rushing. ... Senior quarterback Blake Sims threw an interception on Alabama's third possession, ending his pick-free streak of 158 attempts that ranks third in program history behind AJ McCarron (291) and Brodie Croyle (190). ... Younger players who benefited from increased playing time Saturday were redshirt sophomore receiver Chris Black, who had six receptions for 101 yards, and redshirt freshman tailback Tyren Jones, who had 11 carries for 75 yards.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.