It's rivalry week for the Auburn Tigers, and that's a bigger deal in Auburn than in many places. At the end of the week, the Tigers will take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. With five wins under their belts, a bowl game is on the line for the Tigers, but a win could also keep Alabama from heading to the College Football Playoffs.
Auburn soundly defeated Mercer last weekend with true freshman Deuce Knight at the quarterback position while Daniels sat out to preserve his redshirt. It's expected he will return as the Tigers' QB1 this weekend, but there's no doubt that Knight will be ready to go behind him.
With a coaching search underway, there are a thousand distractions for the Tigers, especially those players who are getting approached by other teams to try to woo them away from the Plains. Despite all the distractions, Daniels says the team remains focused and ready to take on the Tide.
"Obviously as we see it, there's a little more behind this game than there is any other game," Daniels said, per Auburn Undercover. "At the same time, we still prepare the same. We still go to work and make sure we're going out there and know what we're doing. There was a lot going on during the Vandy week, but I'm so proud of the guys and even the coaching staff because of the way we showed up to that facility and prepared like no other with all of the external things going on.
"I'm proud of that and I expect nothing less going into this week. We have already had a great Monday, a great day at the facility in terms of preparation. I'm excited for the rest of the week."
The Iron Bowl will kick off from Jordan-Hare Stadium this Saturday at 6:30 p.m.