Auburn Potentially Down Two Defensive Starters For Iron Bowl
Rivalry week is here, but it may see Auburn without two of its defensive starters as they face off against Alabama in the Iron Bowl.
Linebacker Tre’ Williams and nickelback Jeremiah Dinson were both injured in the Tigers’ Week 12 win over Louisiana-Monroe.
Williams re-injured his shoulder during the 42-14 victory, exiting the game in the second half. The linebacker recorded four tackles before visiting the medical tent. Williams had already missed three games earlier in the season due to the same shoulder.
Teammate and fellow linebacker Darrell Williams commented on the injury, remaining optimistic that the top tackler will participate in Saturday’s winner-take-all matchup against the Crimson Tide.
“Injuries are frustrating and everything, but when it's your last season as a senior and your last home game, you really want to play in those games,” stated Darrell Williams. “So you're going to do whatever it takes… He's going to heal up and do as much treatment as he can. Just make sure he's healthy to play in the game and do whatever he can to help the team win.”
Jeremiah Dinson was also injured during the Louisiana-Monroe game, suffering a concussion and leaving the game in the third quarter. He is currently going through the concussion protocol and has yet to be cleared. In his absence, it is likely that Javaris Davis will take the starting spot.
"It'll be a tough loss but we finally have Javaris Davis back, which he plays Star and a whole bunch of positions," stated safety Tray Matthews when asked about Davis serving as a replacement. "There won't be any drop-off because you all saw what he did last week."
Auburn star running back Kamryn Pettway has been officially ruled out of the rivalry game that will determine the SEC West Division Champion. Pettway fractured his shoulder blade during their 52-20 win against Arkansas during Week 8.
Auburn Opens As Home Underdogs
Oddsmakers have taken notice of the considerable injuries that Auburn may have to deal with both offensively and defensively ahead of the Iron Bowl on Saturday.
The opening line for the Alabama Crimson Tide vs the Auburn Tigers had the home team as 3-point underdogs, but the line has since moved to 5 points. No. 6 Auburn is 2-4 ATS in its last six games when playing Alabama.
The game total for Alabama vs Auburn is set at 48 points. The total has gone OVER in 7 of Auburn’s last 8 games overall, as well as the last 4 of 6 when playing Alabama. More Alabama at Auburn betting odds will be posted ahead of Saturday’s matchup.
This is one of the most highly-anticipated games of the year for sports betting in Alabama, with the results potentially determining one of the four College Football Playoff teams. You can tune into the 82nd Iron Bowl that kicks off at 2:30 PM CT at Jordan-Hare Stadium on CBS.
