Stidham's journey leads to national stage
AUBURN | Jarrett Stidham has experienced a lot during his first season at Auburn.
It doesn’t get much tougher than being sacked 11 times in a loss at Clemson or blowing a 20-point lead in a second loss at LSU.
But there’s been plenty of high points too including a record 301 points in seven SEC games and a 40-17 win over No. 1 Georgia a week ago. It’s all led up to one of the biggest games in school history when No. 1 Alabama visits Jordan-Hare Stadium next Saturday for the 82nd Iron Bowl.
“This is why you play here at Auburn, for games like this against a team like Alabama,” said Stidham, a former Baylor player that transferred to Auburn this season. “They are a very good team, and we are going to have to play our best ball to beat them.”
A victory and the Tigers win the SEC West and secure a rematch with Georgia in the SEC Championship game Dec. 2. It would also put No. 6 Auburn one step closer to earning a bid to the four-team college football playoff.
“We know it means a lot to everyone in the Auburn Family,” Stidham said. “It is a very big deal, and it is a very big deal to us, but at the same time you cannot get too caught up in the moment. You have to really just hunker down, lock in and focus on your job going play to play and not looking too far ahead.
“There is a lot of legacy within this rivalry, but we are going to try to play for our teammates and everyone else that has worn the jersey before us.”
Stidham used Saturday’s 42-14 win over ULM as a tuneup for the Tide. He completed 18-of-24 passes for 235 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
After a slow start, Stidham helped engineer one of the more impressive drives of the season going 96 yards on four plays in 34 seconds.
Kerryon Johnson got the drive started with a 15-yard run around right end, Stidham connected with Darius Slayton for 14 yards, Will Hastings for 17 yards and Slayton again for a 50-yard touchdown.
“Probably the biggest drive was right before half when we were backed up,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. “Chip (Lindsey) went in 10 personnel and just threw the ball down the field. We ended up scoring and gave us a little bit of distance.”
Now, Stidham and the Tigers can turn their full attention to the Tide. With school out for Thanksgiving break, that means more time available for meetings and preparations.
ESPN's College Gameday and the eyes of college football will be on the Plains. Kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.
“I really didn’t know what to expect with Georgia because people said it was going to be crazy. Sure enough, it was,” Stidham said. “And people say it’s going to be even crazier than that so I can’t even imagine what it’s going to be like. But it’s going to be a lot of fun.”