When asked about the 2024 Iron Bowl , his first Iron Bowl with Alabama football , Kalen DeBoer brought up the Crimson Tide 's record at home.
With a win against the Tigers, he said, Alabama would be undefeated at home, something he said is vitally important to him, something that has not happened for the Crimson Tide since 2022, something that could swing momentum back in the right direction for an Alabama program reeling after a road loss to Oklahoma .
"The state. 365 days of the year. Ever since I've been here, I think I hear about it every day," DeBoer said Monday. "So understand what it means. The excitement. We have to learn from last week and be better because of it and turn the page and get ready to practice tomorrow and do everything we can to be successful on Saturday, find a way to win."
But that is not the only thing on the line for DeBoer.
With a win, DeBoer would be the first Alabama football coach to beat Auburn in his first Iron Bowl since Dennis Franchione in 2001.
It was something Nick Saban couldn't do, falling to the 25th-ranked Tigers 17-10 on the road in 2007.
It was something Bear Bryant couldn't do, falling to the second-ranked Tigers 14-8 in Birmingham to end the 1958 season.
Gene Stallings is the only Alabama coach that won a national championship to have led the Crimson Tide to a win against Auburn in his first try: a 16-7 win against the No. 20 Tigers in Birmingham.
With a win against Auburn at Bryant-Denny Stadium Saturday, DeBoer would join an even shorter list, becoming the second coach in Alabama history to beat Auburn in Tuscaloosa.
The Iron Bowl was traditionally played at Birmingham's Legion Field for much of its history. Auburn first faced Alabama at Jordan Hare Stadium in 1989 before permanently hosting the Iron Bowl starting in 1993. Alabama moved its Iron Bowl home games permanently to Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2000.
Alabama lost each of its home games against Auburn in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006. The Crimson Tide also lost to Auburn in Tuscaloosa in 1895 and 1901.
With a 36-0 win against Auburn Nov. 29, 2008, Saban secured Alabama's first true home win in Iron Bowl history. Since then, the Crimson Tide has won six of its seven home games against the Tigers. Alabama's last home loss to Auburn came in a 28-27 loss in 2010.
Alabama will host Auburn at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium on ABC.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: How Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer can make history vs Auburn
