Auburn running back Cameron Artis-Payne (44) carries the ball against Samford .
Auburn head coach Gus MalzahnNobody said it would be easy, especially with the required assignments.
The Auburn Tigers began this football season with the goal of becoming the first Southeastern Conference back-to-back champions since the 1997 and '98 Tennessee Volunteers. Auburn possessed a hoard of talent but also a schedule that would feature eight ranked teams, and the highs and lows have resulted in an 8-3 record entering Saturday night's towering task against 10-1 Alabama inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.
"That was one of our goals, and we were committed to that," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said, "but down the stretch we just didn't get it done. There are a lot of great teams in our league, specifically in the West."
Auburn has been one of those West powers, winning at Kansas State and blasting LSU 41-7 to climb to No. 2 in the rankings before an Oct. 11 showdown at No. 3 Mississippi State. Early turnovers buried the Tigers in a 21-0 hole in their eventual 38-23 defeat in Starkville, but Auburn regrouped and prevailed 35-31 at Ole Miss on Nov. 1, claiming the No. 3 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings.
The Tigers had a brief stay, however, undone by turnovers again in a 41-38 home loss to Texas A&M on Nov. 8.
There has been no regrouping since that loss, as Auburn's once-magnificent offense was held to 292 yards in a 34-7 loss at Georgia and 386 yards in Saturday night's 31-7 sluggish win over Samford. Auburn enters the Iron Bowl averaging a healthy 476.4 yards per game, but that's behind last season's clip of 501.3.
"We still have our edge," senior quarterback Nick Marshall told reporters Saturday night. "We have to put our three losses behind us and keep moving forward. I know we will have our A-game this week."
What Auburn's "A-game" is remains somewhat of a mystery entering the regular-season finale.
Last year's Tigers were a fast-paced team headed by two 1,000-yard rushers, Marshall and tailback Tre Mason. It fed off the unrelenting Mason, who rushed for 1,816 yards and had 304 against Missouri in the SEC title game, and sleeping on the Tigers usually resulted in Marshall pulling up and throwing to a wide-open Sammie Coates.
Cameron Artis-Payne replaced Mason and has been imposing as well, rushing for 1,405 yards and 5.6 yards per carry, but Malzahn wanted this year's team to be more balanced with the return of Coates and the addition of junior college transfer Duke Williams. Williams, who leads the team with 38 catches for 609 yards, has missed the past two games with an MCL sprain but should play Saturday, according to Malzahn.
"I don't think it's been difficult to find the right balance, but we've had a few issues," Malzahn said. "We've had a few injuries up front, so we've had to mix and match our offensive line a few times. That's probably been the biggest thing that has kept us from being really consistent."
Auburn lost left guard Alex Kozan for the season in July, when the All-SEC candidate injured his back lifting weights. An even bigger loss for the Tigers may have occurredlast spring, when sophomore defensive end Carl Lawson tore his ACL.
Lawson was a pass-rushing standout for a defense that produced 32 sacks last season, but this year's team has just 19, which is tied for 90th nationally.
"Carl was a Freshman All-American and one of the best in the country," Malzahn said. "That was a big blow, but we still need other guys to step up and give us a little bit of a rush."
DaVonte Lambert, who leads the Tigers with 3.5 sacks, injured his knee against Samford and has undergone season-ending surgery.
Auburn's struggles this month have coincided with a rash of turnovers and penalties. The Tigers have lost 18 turnovers in 11 games after losing 19 in 14 games last season, and they have committed a whopping 76 penalties for 766 yards.
Last year's team committed 70 penalties for 569 yards.
Malzahn believes there have been more similarities than differences between this year's team and last year's version that won 12 games and came within 13 seconds of knocking off Florida State for the national championship. Auburn has four victories over teams that were ranked at some point during the season (Kansas State, LSU, South Carolina and Ole Miss) and could get a fifth if Arkansas slips into the rankings with a Friday win over Missouri.
Of course, the Tigers could get a sixth with an upset of Alabama, but Auburn must find some offensive rejuvenation and enhance a defense that had allowed 30 points five straight times before the win over Samford.
"We've played some good teams, there is no doubt about that," Malzahn said. "We have a few deficiencies, and a lot of times the deficiencies get exposed later in the year. We've just got to do a better job of covering them up and putting our guys in the best situation."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.