IRON BOWL: Both sides have a lot to play for

Both teams have more football to play after today’s Iron Bowl in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Auburn has clinched a bowl trip in Gene Chizik’s first season. The Tigers have made strides this season. Second-ranked Alabama gets a shot at top-ranked Florida in the SEC Championship Game next week. The winner will likely play for the BCS National Championship on Jan. 7 in Pasadena, Calif.

But today’s contest is the game people will be talking about, not just tonight or tomorrow, but throughout recruiting season and in the middle of next June. In fact, it won’t stop until the Tigers and Tide collide against next season in Tuscaloosa.

“It’s something that lasts for a year and carries on,” Alabama senior cornerback Javier Arenas said this week.

Thousands of T-shirts loudly proclaiming the final score will be sold minutes after the game. Bumper stickers are going to be printed up.

“Somebody is going to go down in the record books (today),” Chizik said. “Somebody is going to do something that is going to go down in history, and it will never be forgotten. Somebody on one side or the other. It happens every year. It is a privilege to be able to play in this game.”

Crimson Tide senior left guard Mike Johnson talked about being introduced to the intensity of this series when he was redshirted his freshman year.

Johnson sat in the stands in Auburn and watched Alabama quarterback Brodie Croyle ripped apart like a carcass in a lions’ pride in 2005. Tide quarterbacks were sacked 11 times that day.

“Everybody had bumper stickers that said, ‘Honk if you sacked Brodie Croyle,’” Johnson said with a grimace — but then he chuckled at the memory.

Alabama players can laugh, they won last year’s Iron Bowl. That 36-0 victory was their first over Auburn in Tuscaloosa. It snapped the Tigers’ six-year winning streak in the series. It also was a rare one-sided result. Seventeen of the last 21 games have been decided by 10 points or less.

Both teams have potent offenses. But traditionally, the team that runs the ball best in this game wins it. In fact, the winning team has rushed for more yards than the loser in the last 10 Iron Bowls.

Two of the SEC’s best running backs will be in the spotlight today. Alabama’s Mark Ingram leads the SEC in rushing, averaging 127.2 yards per game. The Tigers’ Ben Tate is third in the league, averaging 109.9 ypg.

Tate will challenge an Alabama defense that is first in the SEC against the run, giving up just 70.4 yards per game on the ground.

Emotion and adrenaline will be easier to come by than rushing yardage today.

Alabama coach Nick Saban said it’s very possible to get too emotional.

“I felt like we have played some games where we got emotional — this game included a couple of years ago (a 17-10 Auburn victory) — and we make a lot of mental errors and don’t execute very well and sort of lose our focus and discipline,” the coach said.

Both coaches talked about how beyond the passion and intensity and emotion and hoopla, the game boils down to execution.

“We have got to do what we do better than they do what they do,” Chizik said. “It’s all about execution and physicality of the game.”

As for how the Tigers match up physically, Chizik said, “Well, we have got our work cut out for us.”

“Going back to the times that I was here, the more physical team, in my opinion, won the game,” Chizik said. “Alabama is not going to try to trick anybody. They are going to do what they do and be more physical than you. But, in these rivalry games, that is what it’s all about.”

Saban didn’t sound distracted by next week’s showdown against Florida.

“You can throw out the records, rankings, awards — nothing else really matters,” Saban said. “This is kind of a state championship game, so to speak.”

Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy, who grew up with the Texas-Oklahoma rivalry, said learning the importance of this game started early.

“I think about six minutes into my recruiting visit,” said the junior from Southlake, Texas. “They show you videos and they talk about it.

McElroy displayed that sense of history as his first start in the Iron Bowl drew near.

“We haven’t had a ton of success against them in the past. That’s something we’re trying to build on, leave our own mark as players,” McElroy said. “The things that define your career are games like this.”