Seth Williams has never missed an Iron Bowl. From Cottondale, Ala., a town that neighbors Tuscaloosa, he watched it every year growing up, surrounded by Alabama fans.

He was a big target for both the Crimson Tide and Tigers. But when he committed to Auburn two Thanksgivings ago, his family and his Cottondale circle converted for good. And when Williams enjoys Thanksgiving this year with his family back home, his mom may send someone back out the front door if they come wearing crimson and white.

"She ain't going to be mad. She'll probably be joking with them. But she's going to mean it a little bit," Williams said. "Because, they already know, everybody converted to Auburn fans."

After declaring "Tuscaloosa, Alabama" his home town in the starting lineups on the video board, Auburn's standout sophomore receiver will play in the Iron Bowl in front of his home crowd for the first time this Saturday. And there's plenty for him to play for beyond bragging rights against the preferred football team of his home town.

"I did bad that game, dropped a couple balls," Williams said of his performance in last year's Iron Bowl. "So I’ve definitely got to come and change that."

After leading the SEC in yards per reception as a true freshman last season, Williams undoubtedly quarterback Bo Nix's preferred target out wide, ranking ninth in the conference with 73.5 receiving yards per game and eight touchdowns.

In Auburn's most recent SEC contest versus Georgia, Williams caught a career-high 13 balls for 121 yards. Another prolific performance against the Crimson Tide would inch him closer to one of the better seasons for a receiver in program history as he currently sits at 735 yards.

But Williams won't be thinking about that come 2:30 p.m. CST on Saturday. He'll be doing his best not to let the game's gravity get to him too much. But he's also not denying that this heated rivalry is extra special for him, and it may stand to give the receiver some "extra juice."

"I’m going to approach it as a regular game," Williams said. "Nothing’s going to change for real to me. ... Like, I might have a little extra juice for it. But not — I’m not going to overdo it or nothing like that."

------

NOT A MEMBER?

JOIN AUBURNSPORTS.COM TODAY to enjoy around-the-clock content including stories, analysis, videos, podcasts, call-in shows and The Greatest Message Board In The History of The Internet.