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Local coaches weigh in on Iron Bowl
Published November 16, 2006
Unlike the majority of Alabamians, Albertville head football coach Tommy Tharp will be able to watch Saturday’s Iron Bowl without experiencing a roller coaster of emotions.
A native of Louisiana, Tharp is a graduate of Northeast Louisiana, now known as the University of Louisiana-Monroe.
Tharp spent most of his coaching career in Tennessee before coming to Albertville in the winter of 2005.
Of course, when you live in Alabama, you can find fans (and coaches) willing to discuss the Iron Bowl 365 days a year, and Tharp has an opinion of what will occur Saturday in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
“I would imagine Auburn will take away the pass and force Alabama to run, which they haven’t shown they can do, and Alabama will take away the run and force Auburn to pass, which they seem to struggle with,” Tharp said.
“My prediction would be a relatively low-scoring game. Alabama is not as bad as most people think, and Auburn is certainly not as good as most folks thought early in the year.
“I believe Auburn is the better team, but I’ll go with my gut and take Alabama by three. I’m using Harry Carey logic on this one. If a guy is batting .135 on the season, I’d hate to pitch to him ... he’s due.”
Douglas head coach Jimmy Patterson will be wearing his orange and blue Saturday. An Auburn graduate, he believes his alma mater will extend its winning streak to five in a row against the Tide.
“I think both teams will play well,” Patterson said. “Alabama has a little more confidence after performing better in the LSU game, and Auburn has something to prove after playing terrible against Georgia.
“The game will be won up front, always has. Last year Auburn controlled both sides of it. I feel they are better up front than Alabama, so I predict Auburn 16, Alabama 12.”
Patterson recalled two of his favorite Iron Bowl memories.
“My first is Bo (Jackson) over the top (in 1982). My dad gave me a plaque of that play that still hangs in my bedroom at their house.
“My second is Patrick Nix to Frank Sanders on fourth down after Stan White was hurt, to bring Auburn back (in 1993).”
Boaz defensive coordinator Eric Whaley believes neither Alabama nor Auburn thought they would be where they are right now.
“Surely, Auburn thought they would be at the top fighting for the one or two in the BCS, and Alabama had to think they would be well above .500,” Whaley said.
“One thing that I have learned from this college football season is that if you play Division I, you better come to play every week. The teams that were traditionally at the bottom are getting better recruits and are a lot more competitive.
“Just because Georgia may have lost to a Vandy or Kentucky doesn’t mean they can’t play with Auburn.
“All it comes down to is who is going to make plays and who is going to make excuses. You can call the best play you have with a player who is on a lower talent level, and the majority of the time, it will not be successful.
“Whereas, if you call the worst play that you possibly could at that time, but have the best athlete on the field running it, he will find a way to make a play.
“The talent level at SEC schools is on more of a level playing field than it has ever been. Of course, both the Tide and the Tigers have playmakers.
“Which team will be better at blocking out emotion, which is what rival games are all about. Auburn has to travel, which sometimes helps in not getting caught up in the festivities. Bama gets the luxury of staying in a familiar routine.
“No one thought Bama would hang with LSU for as long as they did, nor did they think Georgia would down the Tigers.
“The old saying that anything is possible at anytime goes hand in hand with this game and this year. Just ask Louisville or Cal from this past week.”
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