Alabama vs Auburn: 5 reasons Tigers upset Crimson Tide

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Sep 3, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers defensive coordinator Kevin Steele talks to players during warm-ups prior to the game against the Clemson Tigers at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports /

4. The Kevin Steele curtain defense

Auburn isn’t just some scrub team that Alabama is going to wipe the floor with. The Tigers are 8-3 (6-2) on the season and have asserted themselves as one of the better Power 5 teams in the country.

While the bread and butter for the Auburn team is the “hurry-up-and-run” offense of head coach Gus Malzahn and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee, let’s be real for three seconds and come to terms with why Auburn is winning in 2016. The Tigers are exponentially better defensively under new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele.

The Steele curtain defense makes Auburn one of the toughest teams to score on in the Power 5. All three of Auburn’s losses have been close, as its defense has kept the Tigers in games they probably had business winning.

There is a level of balance on defense for the Auburn team we haven’t seen since the Tigers won it all in 2010. It probably has to do with the Tigers having a healthy star in the front seven in defensive end Carl Lawson. Montravious Adams looks really good as well up front.

Sure, Auburn is going to have to muddy it up to win a low-scoring game over Alabama, but the Tigers do have the defensive personnel, and most importantly, the scheme to keep the Crimson Tide in check.

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