Alabama’s 56-0 blowout victory over Mercer last Saturday seemed like a mere a steppingstone on the way to the Iron Bowl, the rivalry Crimson Tide and Auburn.
Cam Sims, Alabama’s senior wideout from Monroe, La., still wanted to savor it for a bit. Asked about Auburn after the game, he cited the team’s right to enjoy one game for a day before looking ahead to the next one.
“We got the 24-hour rule, you feel me?” Sims said.
But Sims acknowledged the week to come.
“It gets crazy because I just know it’s a big game and everything just gets hyped up,” he said. “It’s either you’re an Alabama fan or you’re an Auburn fan, it’s just like that.”
Senior defensive back Hootie Jones, another product of Monroe, La., has seen a few Iron Bowls. Based on that experience, he does not feel the need to educate younger plays on the magnitude of the rivalry.
“When they come in, most of the time they know it’s a big game,” Jones said. “It’s bragging rights. Alabama versus Auburn. … It goes way back, and we just want to come out here and make our side of the rivalry happy.”
Josh Jacobs, a sophomore running back from Tulsa, Okla., said the significance of the rivalry is not lost on him.
“It’s huge,” Jacobs said. “Looking back at tradition, it’s always a big game so I’m just looking forward to playing it.”
Calvin Ridley, a junior wideout from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said he doesn’t know much about what the Tigers have been up to this season.
“I don’t pay attention too much,” he said. “I just try to focus on us and whoever we’ve got that week.”
Twenty-four hours is up. Alabama will not turn its full attention to a game that is important not only because the teams occupy the same state, but because the winner advances to the SEC Championship Game and enhances its College Football Playoff hopes.
“This week it’s coming up, so I’ll pay more attention to them,” Sims said.
Tommy Deas contributed to this report.
