Iron Bowl Saturday’s game has been a little spicier. Alabama The quarterback Jaylen Melrow joined the fray on Tuesday when asked about pointed comments made by Auburn Freshman linebacker DeMarcus Riddick.
“I don’t know who he is,” Milrow said with a smile. “I mean, let him talk. That’s part of it. It’s about doing everything 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 called Alabama’s newest receiver, among other things Ryan Williams “There’s no bigger player for me” and that “every rival team I’ve played against, I’ve never lost to, and I’m not going to lose to Bama here.”
In addition, Riddick stifled Mulrow’s ability to make plays in the running game. Mulrow leads Alabama with 615 rushing yards and is second among all FBS quarterbacks with 17 rushing touchdowns.
“He’s a good quarterback. He’s fast,” Riddick said. “But, I mean, he’s not faster than me. He’s not going to get out of that box this week.”
Alabama (8-3, 4-3) is coming off an upset 24-3 loss against Oklahoma, severely damaging 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. Mulrow accounted for one touchdown and five turnovers in those games. He threw three interceptions against the Sooners.
“It’s the simple things we need to do as an offense,” Mulroe said of the Crimson Tide’s struggles last week. “You can’t single out one person. It’s all about us collectively being our best as a group and executing the simple things. That’s what allows us to be the best offense that we can be. “
This will be Milrow’s fourth Iron Bowl. He was the star of the game a year ago when he launched a fourth-and-31 touchdown pass. Isaiah Bond in the final seconds to give Alabama a 27-24 win.
“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,” Mulroe said.
Alabama has won four in a row and eight of the last 10 in the series.
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.