-
Chris Low, ESPN Senior Writer
The Iron Bowl has been a bit spicy in the buildup to Saturday’s game, and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe subtly joined the fray Tuesday when asked about pointed comments made by Auburn freshman linebacker Demarcus Riddick.
“I don’t know who that is,” a smiling Milroe said. “I mean, let him talk. It’s a part of it. It’s all about executing what we need to do so we can be at our best this weekend. But, yeah, good on him.”
Riddick made the first move Monday when he said, among other things, that Alabama freshman receiver Ryan Williams “ain’t no big-time player to me” and that “every rival team I’ve played, I never lost to, and I will not lose to Bama while I’m here.”
In addition, Riddick shrugged off Milroe’s ability to make plays in the running game. Milroe leads Alabama with 615 rushing yards and is second among all FBS quarterbacks with 17 rushing touchdowns.
“He is a good quarterback. He’s fast,” Riddick said. “But, I mean, he’s not faster than me. He will not get out of that box this week.”
Alabama (8-3, 4-3) is coming off a 24-3 upset loss to Oklahoma, putting a serious dent in the Crimson Tide’s playoff hopes. To have any chance of making the 12-team field, they need to beat Auburn and probably need some help.
In its last two losses to Oklahoma and Tennessee, Alabama has failed to score more than 17 points. Milroe accounted for one touchdown and five turnovers in those games. He threw three interceptions against the Sooners.
“It’s simple things we need to execute as an offense,” Milroe said of what plagued the Crimson Tide last week. “You can’t just point out one person. It’s all about collectively as a group being the best us and executing the simple things. That’s what allows us to be the best offense we can be.”
This will be Milroe’s fourth Iron Bowl. He was the star of the game a year ago when he launched a fourth-and-31 touchdown pass to Isaiah Bond to win it for Alabama 27-24 in the final seconds.
“For us, we’re playing for the state of Alabama, playing for our families, playing for the guys in the locker room, but this game means a lot to a lot of people,” Milroe said.
Alabama has won four in a row in the series and eight of the past 10.
Auburn (5-6, 2-5) hasn’t won in Tuscaloosa since 2010, the same year it won the national championship with Cam Newton at quarterback.