Cam Newton has become so synonymous with Auburn's offense that it's sometimes easy to forget there are others capable of inflicting damage.
Freshman tailback Mike Dyer, receivers Darvin Adams and Terrell Zachery and a hulking, veteran offensive line form a supporting cast that sometimes gets buried under the star power of Newton, the unquestioned headliner of Auburn's yard-eating offense.
"They do a lot of things offensively and do them very well,"
said Alabama coach Nick Saban.
But the Tide defense that Auburn will face is fast, athletic and talented.
"There are no weaknesses,"
said Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. "They're very good up front. Their linebackers, they're as big as some defensive ends and they can flat-out run. On the back end, they're extremely talented."
If Alabama has a liability, it's the squad's youth. Alabama is starting more true freshmen on defense (linebacker C.J. Mosley and cornerback DeMarcus Milliner) than seniors (end Luther Davis and linebacker Chavis Williams are the only seniors with a chance to see action on defense). That young group will have to contend with the complexities of Malzahn's offense.
"It's not like they do a bunch of junk; it's well-conceived what they do,"
Saban said of Auburn's attack. "They do a good job of executing their offense. They present it to the defense in various ways that require a lot of adjustments that need to be made."
"Obviously, it's a little easier to defend when you have an older, more experienced team. ... It's going to take some real maturity on our players' part to be able to handle and manage this."
But the Tide has handled diverse offenses before and Alabama gives up fewer points per game than any other defense in the SEC. Alabama's defense has yielded only two touchdowns in six home games this season.
"That's kind of the point,"
said Auburn coach Gene Chizik. "This league is a tough league right now in terms of scoring offense. There are a lot of explosive players right now in these skill positions, certainly at quarterback and wideout. That (Alabama ranking) just kind of magnifies how good they really are on defense."
Stopping Auburn this year has been less about contending with Malzahn's surprises and more about containing what everyone knows is coming -- a steady diet of draws, scrambles and play-action looks from Newton.
"He's a great athlete, there's no doubt about that,"
Saban said. "You have to do a great job of tackling. He's a big guy. He's got long arms. He's got a good stiff arm. He's really good at changing direction and has deceptive speed."
"I think when they spread you out on the field and he scrambles or even when he's running one of his set running plays, you have to do a good job of tackling; you have to do a good job of leveraging and tackling. That's what great players do; they make themselves hard to tackle and he's certainly one of those guys."
