GAME NOTES: Fresh off a truly embarrassing defeat. the Alabama Crimson Tide must regroup quickly for this weekend's matchup with the Auburn Tigers in an SEC rivalry often referred to as the "Iron Bowl". Fans of the Crimson Tide watched in shock last weekend as the team dropped a 21-14 decision to UL- Monroe. That loss was the third in a row for Alabama, all by seven or fewer points. Nick Saban's squad is now 6-5, and although the team is eligible for the bowl season, another win this weekend may be needed to strengthen its resume'. As for Auburn, it is 7-4 overall and 4-3 in league play, good for a second-place tie with Alabama in the Western Division of the SEC. The Tigers carried a two-game winning streak into a November 10th matchup with Georgia in Athens, and the result of that clash was a lopsided 45-20 defeat. They have had two weeks to prepare for this weekend's clash, the final regular season game on the schedule. Alabama holds a 38-32-1 series lead over Auburn, but the Tigers recorded a 22-15 victory over the Tide last season. Auburn's current five-game winning streak against Alabama matches the longest in school history.

Against UL-Monroe last weekend, Alabama scored a touchdown less than four minutes into the contest on a 17-yard pass from John Parker Wilson to Keith Brown. Then, early in the second quarter, the Tide hit paydirt again on a 12- yard run by Terry Grant. Unfortunately, the offense was shut out the rest of the way, and Alabama finished the contest with four total turnovers, overshadowing 409 total yards. Wilson was intercepted twice in defeat. Overall this season, Alabama is scoring 28.4 ppg on 386.0 total ypg. The Tide has scored 34 offensive touchdowns in 11 outings, and 18 of those scores have come on the ground. Grant leads the club with 891 yards and eight touchdowns. As for the passing game, Wilson has completed 55.4 percent of his passes for 2,477 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and he has rushed for four scores. he most dangerous receiver on the roster is clearly D.J. Hall, who has made 60 grabs for 918 yards and six touchdowns.

Of the three touchdowns that UL-Monroe scored against Alabama last weekend, one did come on a one-play, one-yard drive. While the other two drives covered a significant amount of yardage, it can be argued that the Tide played well enough to win defensively. After all, they only allowed 282 total yards, including 121 rushing yards on 44 attempts, an average of fewer than three yards per carry. Unfortunately, Alabama did not register a single takeaway in the clash, an obvious contributing fact in the loss. Opponents are averaging 22.3 ppg and 346.5 total ypg against Alabama, which has been fairly solid on defense for the most part this season. Yielding just 3.4 ypc, the Tide have done a good job of containing the opposition's ground attack. While 'Bama has yielded 17 passing touchdowns and an average of 12.6 yards per pass completion, 16 interceptions have helped to offset those large numbers.

Auburn is averaging 25.0 ppg and 332.0 total ypg, numbers that aren't going to scare many opponents. Senior quarterback Brandon Cox was expected to put up big numbers this season, but he has thrown 11 interceptions and only nine touchdowns while completing fewer than 60 percent of his passes. His favorite target in the passing game, Rod Smith, has made 45 catches for 614 yards and five scores. Rather than rely on one tailback to carry the load, Auburn has a number of capable runners in the backfield. Ben Tate is tops with 779 yards and six rushing scores, while Mario Fanning checks in with 430 yards and five touchdowns. In the ugly loss to Georgia on November 10th, Auburn finished with a mere 216 total yards, including 83 rushing yards on 35 attempts. Cox looked more like a rookie starting his first game than an experienced veteran, as he was intercepted four times.

Opponents are scoring just 17.3 ppg against Auburn, which is yielding a mere 305.0 total ypg. The Tigers are limiting foes to 3.5 rushing ypc and 120.0 ypg on the ground. As for the pass defense, it is giving up 185.0 ypg, and opposing quarterbacks have 11 touchdowns against 13 interceptions versus Auburn. With 22 total takeaways, the Tigers have been opportunistic at times, but their sack total of 17 leaves much to be desired. Antonio Coleman has been outstanding for Auburn, as he has recorded 17 TFLs, including seven sacks. The defense obviously struggled mightily in the last outing against Georgia, as the Tigers surrendered 45 points and 417 total yards. Auburn yielded six touchdowns in the game, including four on the ground, as the Bulldogs continued to pound the football. Georgia only completed 11 passes in the tilt, but those connections went for an average of 21.5 yards.

There is absolutely no reason to believe that Alabama will win this game. If the Tide couldn't beat UL-Monroe at home, how could the squad beat Auburn on the road. The Tigers will stretch their series win streak to a record six games.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Auburn 27, Alabama 17