Alabama Players Evaluate Auburn RB Tank Bigsby

For obvious reasons, the primary story surrounding Auburn football's offense heading into its matchup with Alabama in the Iron Bowl this Saturday has been quarterback T.J. Finley. With primary starter Bo Nix now out for the remainder of the season due to a broken ankle, Finley has become the primary storyline for those focusing on the Tigers.

Auburn running back Tank Bigsby should hardly be forgotten, though.

So far this season, Bigsby has been a solid performer for the Tigers. Through 11 games, Bigsby has rushed the football 178 yards for 940 yards — an average of 5.3 yards per carry. With a talented offensive line in front of him, Bigsby has been able to frequently produce when the ball is handed to him.

On Monday, Alabama running back Brian Robinson Jr. said what he's seen from Bigsby this year.

“Tank, he’s a fast, elusive guy,” Robinson said. “You know, a powerful guy. I think he’s a very explosive player if you ask me. Pretty good running back for them. That’s kinda how I see him play.”

Robinson is just five yards ahead of Bigsby in total rushing yards this year with 945. In the Southeastern Conference, Robinson ranks fourth among running backs in total rushing yards while Bigsby is just behind him in fifth. However, Bigsby has also had 13 less carries than Robinson, who has been heavily utilized by the Crimson Tide all season.

“He’s a great player,” Alabama defensive lineman LaBryan Ray said of Bigsby. “They have a great offense — great offensive line — so they’re just a great team overall. We just kinda gotta control what we can control and just try to have a good week of practice and take it into this weekend.”

With Nix out for the season and Finley still adjusting to being the primary starter at Auburn, Bigsby will likely play a large role for the Tigers this weekend in the Iron Bowl. At least, early on before Finley adjusts to the Crimson Tide defense.

Alabama has had to face multiple talented running backs this season. Last week against No. 21 Arkansas, the Crimson Tide had to face a Razorbacks backfield that was, at the time, ranked as the sixth-best running back corps in the country. In total, Alabama held Arkansas to 110 total rushing yards and just one rushing touchdown, a solid effort by the Crimson Tide.

With all of the emotion that comes with every Iron Bowl, though, Auburn's rushing attack led by Bigsby will likely be an even more difficult challenge.

“We know he’s a great running back,” Battle said. “We know it starts up front in the trenches. We know we have to strike blocks — get off blocks — in the secondary and the inside linebackers and everybody just has to come off our blocks and make good tackles in open field.”