Alabama’s top team of decade vs. AU’s best - vote

Published Tuesday, January 12, 2010

When Alabama knocked out Colt McCoy in the first quarter of the BCS National Championship game, solidifying the SEC’s sixth BCS title out of 12 total chances, the Crimson Tide became the second of the six to finish the year unbeaten.

The other undefeated team was the 1998 Tennessee Volunteers, who defeated Florida State behind quarterback Tee Martin in the first edition of the BCS championship game. But, fans from our state well know that one more program pulled off a 13-0 campaign, only to be denied a shot at the final game.

That squad was the 2004 Auburn Tigers. Each year, fans of Auburn and Alabama hope for a classic Iron Bowl, so I thought what could possibly be a better match-up than arguably the best team in AU history against certainly one of the top Tide teams in UA’s storied history? The two teams can’t meet on the field, but we can easily pit them against each other on paper.

Here’s a look at how they stack up:

Quarterback: There are only two spots where I see a clear advantage for one side or the other. The first is quarterback. Auburn’s Jason Campbell had one of the best seasons for a QB in school history. He threw for 2,700 yards in 13 wins, compared to Greg McElroy’s 2,508 yards in 14 victories. McElroy was intercepted four times to Campbell’s seven, but Campbell had the edge in touchdowns (19-17), completion percentage (69.6-60.9) and passer rating (171.7-140.5).

Both quarterbacks are undoubtedly winners. McElroy has never lost as a starter, and in 2004, Campbell made sure Auburn would not be denied. Alabama was a run-oriented team this season. The Tide asked McElroy to just manage games, though he did show he can make plays when it counts (see the Auburn game). Auburn was a more balanced team that relied more on Campbell. Couple that with the statistical advantage, and the edge here goes to Auburn.

Running back, offensive line: This one is impossible. Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson could be the best Tide rushing duo ever, but can you really say you would rather have them over two top-five NFL Draft picks? Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown are two of the biggest, most productive stars Auburn has had, but can you say without a doubt you would take them over one Heisman winner and potentially two if Richardson continues to improve? I can’t call it either way.

Williams and Brown combined to average 160 yards rushing per game, scored 20 touchdowns and caught a total of 54 passes for 463 yards. Ingram and Richardson averaged 156 yards per game, tallied 21 touchdowns and made 44 receptions for 429 yards.

As far as the line goes, it would be tough to pick a winner, as both starting fives were pretty much unstoppable. ‘Bama has an All-American in Mike Johnson, where Auburn had two future starters in the NFL with Marcus McNeill (San Diego Chargers) and Ben Grubbs (Baltimore Ravens). Both lines helped backs to average 5.0 yards per carry. This one has to be a push. Both are great.

Wide receiver: Another close call here. Courtney Taylor led Auburn in ‘04 with 43 catches for 737 yards, while Julio Jones paced the UA corps with 42 catches for 573 yards. AU’s top three wide receivers ­– Taylor, Ben Obomanu and Devin Aromashodu – combined for 17 touchdowns and 17.5 yards per catch on 92 receptions. Alabama’s best three receivers, Jones, Marquis Maze and Darius Hanks, scored nine times and hauled in 89 balls for a 15.3-yard average. Both teams’ second-leading player in catches was a back (Brown and Ingram) and both teams had good receiving tight ends in Cooper Wallace and Colin Peek. Auburn also had Anthony Mix, who had 19 receptions and three touchdowns. I think Auburn had a deeper group, but both were more than capable of getting the job done.

Defensive line: Each club was loaded on the line. All-American Terrence Cody and his 365 pounds created huge problems for opposing offenses for Alabama at nose. Seniors Lorenzo Washington and Brandon Deaderick, along with the defensive MVP of the title game, sophomore Marcell Dareus (6.5 sacks on the year), helped ‘Bama’s three-man front allow just 77.9 rushing yards per game, second in the nation. Auburn was 17th in the country in rush defense and gave up only four rushing touchdowns. Stanley McClover (7.5 sacks) was an All-SEC performer at defensive end, and senior Brett Eddins was also a force at end for AU. T.J. Jackson, who’s seen time in the NFL, held down the middle, and players like Jay Ratliff, now an All-Pro, Quentin Groves (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Wayne Dickens worked into the rotation. If one team has an edge, it has to be a slight one.

Linebacker: Here’s the other spot where it’s not that close. Alabama has the better backers, led by Rolando McClain, who will be a top 10 pick. Cory Reamer (50 tackles) and Eryk Anders (6 sacks), a pair of seniors, were the next two top-tackling linebackers for ‘Bama, who lost a possible all-conference player when Dont’a Hightower was injured. The Tide also had an all-star back-up cast with Nico Johnson and Courtney Upshaw to name a couple. Travis Williams was a first-team All-SEC player for Auburn in ‘04, but many of the rest of the backers were just speedy system players for Gene Chizik’s defense who were not highly-touted, but still effective. The Tide gets the nod here.

Secondary: Thorpe Award winner Carlos Rogers led the Auburn secondary, which was eighth in the nation in pass defense. Montavis Pitts was the other corner. Will Herring and headhunter Junior Rosegreen were the two safeties, and they were the second and third-leading tacklers on the team. Javier Arenas was a lockdown corner and the captain of the Tide defensive backs, while safety Mark Barron intercepted seven passes. ‘Bama was seventh in pass defense overall. Justin Woodall was the seventh leading tackler for ‘Bama and Kareem Jackson was the other corner. Both groups were coached by men who specialize in defensive backs (Nick Saban at ‘Bama and Chizik as coordinator for AU). I don’t know that there’s a clear winner here either.

Personnel-wise, both teams are eerily similar. Schedule-wise, both teams beat five ranked teams including the defending national champions (Auburn beat Saban's LSU team, 'Bama beat Tim Tebow and the Gators). Both teams had the national coach of the year and a Broyles Award winner as an assistant. Both teams were No. 1 in scoring defense and averaged more than 30 points per game on offense.

Whether one team is better than the other is indeterminable. It’s just interesting to compare the state’s favorite two teams at the height of their game. We need something to talk about anyway, because next September is a long way away.

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