WEEK 11: Auburn Dominates Arkansas; Iron Bowl Prediction

I don't even know where to begin. That was the best all-around football game I have seen out of Auburn in years. I expected to win that game. I did not expect to go on the road and destroy the integrity of the Arkansas football program. I blinked at it was 21-0. What a day.

The final score was 48-10, but I don't even think that portrays the level of domination Auburn achieved. The starters were benched after the end of the third quarter. I've got just a few notes from this one, and I'll then give my current prediction for the iron bowl.

-Ron Roberts has this defense rolling. Auburn got that QB pressure I've been begging for, tallying a total of five sacks on Saturday. To be fair, this Arkansas offensive line is absolutely abysmal. I'm just happy to see our guys getting back there. Jalen McLeod, who is finally healthy it seems, was responsible for three of those sacks, which is fantastic to see. Look for Roberts to dial up some pressure against Alabama, who has also looked vulnerable at times this year on the offensive line.

-Thorne looked super comfortable on the road for the second straight week. I think he has turned a corner. He's beginning to look more and more like that quarterback that threw for over 3000 yards in one season at Michigan State. If he could just eliminate that one ugly mistake per game, I would be a lot more comfortable with him at the helm. He can get away with that against bad teams. We can't afford to give away those possessions against good teams. He's going to need to play a clean game against Alabama.

-Jarquez Hunter rushed for his third straight 100 yard game. He has been fantastic these last few weeks. Damari Alston and Brian Battie also looked very solid. Auburn is going to have to dominate on the ground if we want to have a shot at winning out. It's been very promising to see these guys succeeding week in and week out. Let's also give credit to the offensive line for opening up holes for our guys. I don't know the exact stat/ranking, but I saw a post on twitter last week that claimed that Auburn is highly ranked in rushing yards before initial contact. This is super exciting to see, since Tank Bigsby averaged less than a yard before initial contact just last year at Auburn.

-Camden Brown has been nonexistent this year. He's just not making any plays when the ball comes his way. He had two targets on curl routes yesterday, and both balls hit him in the chest. He was tightly covered, but these are balls that he is supposed to come away with. He's a big target. He should be able to catch balls in traffic. I thought he would be a big part of the offense this year. I was absolutely wrong. He has only 8 catches for 78 yards on the year. I've been disappointed with his production to this point.

-Alex McPherson is going to be the next kicker drafted out of Auburn. Book it now. He has made 17 consecutive field goals, and they haven't all been chip shots either. His brother, Evan, is already one of the elite kickers in the NFL. Alex will be next up.

Yesterday was a huge day for Auburn football. We not only picked up a huge win on the road to become bowl eligible, we also flipped Jamonta Waller, a four-star edge rusher previously committed to Florida. This program is turning a corner.

Auburn will take on New Mexico State next week as a final tune-up before the Iron Bowl. NM State is 8-3 overall and currently on a 6 game win streak, but we should dominate this game. Winning this one would put Auburn at 7-4 heading into the iron bowl, exactly as I predicted at the beginning of the season.

Now, let's talk about how I currently think this Iron Bowl will go. Auburn and Alabama both have steadily improved over the past couple of weeks. Both teams dominated their final SEC opponents before the Iron Bowl, and both will go into the greatest rivalry game in the history of sports with confidence at an all-time high. So, who is going to win?

As much as I want to say I truly believe Auburn will win this one, I still can't at this point. Alabama has looked very good during the second half of the season. I think they have a slight edge over Auburn.

We have struggled to slow down running quarterbacks this year. Alabama has finally decided to draw up designed runs for Jalen Milroe, and they have been very successful with this new gameplan. If we want any shot at winning this one, we are not only going to have to keep him in the pocket, we are also going to have to get some serious pressure on him. He can throw it if he is given time. I think if we can get some dudes in his face, we can force him into some mistakes. If he is given time in the pocket and opportunities to run in the open field, we don't stand a chance.

I do think Alabama will be the favorite to win this one, and rightfully so. However, that does not mean I don't think Auburn can win this game. Crazy things happen when Alabama travels to Jordan-Hare, and it will be ROCKING for this game. Auburn fans can sense the positive direction this program is heading in. This is a huge opportunity for Hugh Freeze to make a statement. If you think there will be an empty seat in this stadium, you better think again. To say I'm pumped for this game would be an understatement.