Auburn's Defensive Front Elicits Expletive Ahead of Iron Bowl

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- No. 10 Alabama hits the road for the annual Iron Bowl contest against the Auburn Tigers with its post-season hopes on the line. The Crimson Tide faces one of the SEC's toughest defenses in a pressure packed situation as a win would put the program in the SEC Championship game against either Texas A&M or Georgia.

Alabama's offensive line has struggled throughout the year in the run game, generating 123.27 yards on the ground per game(13th in the SEC) while the Auburn Tigers have been stout against the run, allowing just 94 yards on the ground per game (4th in the SEC).

The Crimson Tide front has done a bit better in pass protection, only allowing 20 sacks on the season (7th in the SEC) but the Auburn defensive front has been nasty getting after the passer, sacking quarterbacks 28 times on the year (6th in the SEC).

Saturday is a huge day for the Alabama offensive line due to its challenging matchup against the Auburn front, but if the line can open rushing lanes and protect, they'll likely come out on top in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Left tackle Kadyn Proctor knows that's a big if to consider.

"I mean, that's a first round talent guy [Keldric Faulk]. Keyron Crawford, number 24, he's had a lot of production. Not just the defensive line, but the linebackers, number 17 [Xavier Atkins] has 15.5 tackles for a loss, 7.5 sacks. That's crazy to have as a linebacker. He's fast, speedy, but they have big guys up front, long, lanky, and they're powerful. So we've got to be ready for that."

Auburn's defensive scheme is centered around stopping the run and getting pressure on the quarterback as they look to help a secondary that's struggled this season, allowing 239.64 yards per game (11th in the SEC). Keldrick Faulk is widely considered a first round NFL draft pick this upcoming spring, but he's tied with three other Tigers for third in sacks this season, showing the great depth of talent Auburn has. Crawford's five sacks from the opposite side are second on the team and lead the defensive front, while Atkins leads the team from the linebacker spot.

The depth of talent and the athleticism along the Auburn front elicited a vulgar reaction from Proctor when asked about the challenge they present.

"Just them as players," Proctor said. "It's a motherf---, that's all it comes down to. It's hard. It's an SEC game. That's just what it is. We play tough fronts all the time, just got to get prepared for this one throughout the week."