AUBURN | Jerrin Thompson played in four Red River Rivalries. He’ll play in his first Iron Bowl Saturday.

The transfer portal era has opened the door for more players to experience the traditions and rivalries of different schools. Thompson will be a veteran of two of the fiercest.

“Texas-OU is pretty much the same every year. You know what you're gonna get,” said Thompson. “All my teammates telling me that it's gonna be the best game I've ever been a part of. They said it's better here at Jordan-Hare, but I'm just looking forward to it and excited to go out one more time.”

Thompson is coming off on of his best performances as a Tiger. He had a team-high 11 tackles and his second interception of the season in a 43-41 four-overtime win over No. 15 Texas A&M.

“He’s a dog,” said freshman safety Kaleb Harris. “He always plays like that. People don’t see the things that he does and that's my big brother.

“He’s probably one of the smartest people I've been around football wise. He’s going to be an amazing coach after his playing career. He’s always been a great tackler.”

Thompson has stepped up his play the second half of AU’s season and he credits being more comfortable with defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin’s schemes.

“Maybe, beginning of the season, going into the year, like kind of just thinking too much, or maybe just trying to do too much -- knowing that I'm a captain on this team and leader for a lot of young guys. But as the season went on, I just started to let it loose and just put it in God's hands,” said Thompson.

Auburn, 5-6 overall and 2-5 in the SEC, has a lot to play for against No. 13 Alabama. A win in Tuscaloosa for the first time since 2010 would give AU a bowl bid and a chance to end a stretch of three consecutive losing seasons.

“It's another game to go get us a ticket,” said Thompson. “They're in the way of what we're trying to accomplish, just another team in front of us. So we know the task ahead, and we're gonna practice well and get to it this week to make sure we're prepared and ready to go.”

Kickoff at Bryant-Denny Stadium is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC.