Auburn Corner: Iron Bowl win can ease Tigers’ pain of New Mexico State loss

Every Tuesday we present “The Auburn Corner,” where we break down the previous game, preview the upcoming game, and everything in between.

In this week’s edition, Auburn is coming off one of the worst losses in program history. But in the larger picture, it can erase that loss from history with an Iron Bowl victory over Alabama this week at home in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Nobody is discounting the magnitude of the loss to New Mexico State. It was humiliating, inexcusable, disgraceful, and whatever other adjective you want to put on it. But the fact of the matter for Hugh Freeze is this: nobody, not even Auburn fans, expected Auburn to be extremely competitive in year one. Freeze and the Tigers have a chance to right their wrongs this week.

While the New Mexico State loss won’t necessarily be forgotten, it can be forgiven. In the grand scheme, this season could still be looked at as a huge success if it were to end with a winning record and an Iron Bowl victory.

With the three-game win streak prior to New Mexico State, Auburn was building some momentum to the point where even with a loss in the Iron Bowl, you could have chalked this up as a successful year for Freeze.

But Auburn now finds itself in a spot where in order for the perception of the season to even be remotely positive, it must at least be competitive in the Iron Bowl.

If Alabama comes into Jordan-Hare and dominates Auburn, it will be hard to look at this season as any kind of a success for Auburn, at least on the field.

If Auburn could defy the odds and defeat Alabama, you cannot assess this season as anything but a success. Beating Alabama would forgive all wrongs and build unbelievable amounts of momentum heading into next year.

This game is more than just a football game. It is an opportunity for Freeze to reshape how fans feel about the direction of the program.

Auburn understands the chance they have in front of them. Time will tell if they are up to the task.