Dunn living his Iron Bowl dreams

AUBURN | Casey Dunn grew up dreaming of playing in the Iron Bowl. While those early dreams were in crimson and white, he’s very much looking forward to donning the navy blue and burnt orange Saturday.

“I used to go with my dad all the time even though we might have been on the wrong side of it,” Dunn said. “It’s just been great. It was always fun growing up just having a lot of father-son time.”

Dunn said his dad will definitely be decked out in Auburn gear at Jordan-Hare Stadium to watch his son try and lead the 6th-ranked Tigers over No. 1 Alabama.

Dunn came to Auburn from Jacksonville State as a graduate transfer this summer. He stepped into the starting lineup at center for the Missouri game and has been an anchor for one of the SEC’s best offensive lines, missing just the Arkansas game with an knee injury.

“He's playing at a high level, and it's really amazing,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. “He had a pretty good injury against LSU, and came back in that game and couldn't finish the game. The way he's recovered is amazing. He's a tough young man. He is playing at a high level, a very high level. He played his best game the other night against one of the better fronts (Georgia) in college football.”

Toughness is a word that seems to be synonymous with Dunn around Auburn’s athletic complex.

“He’s a great dude. His toughness is unbelievable,” quarterback Jarrett Stidham said. “Starting in the LSU game when he hurt his knee and then moving forward, he’s showed a lot of toughness this season. That’s just a testament to him and how hard he’s worked.”

Dunn said his right knee is back to 100 percent now and he’ll be in the starting lineup for the 82nd Iron Bowl. There will be many young men in the stands hoping to one day follow in Dunn's footsteps just like he was seven years ago at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“Definitely Cam’s comeback year, 2010,” said Dunn of his most memorable Iron Bowl. “That was fun. We had great seats and it was a lot of fun to watch. That comeback is one of the most amazing things I’ve seen.”

Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.