Auburn's Riddick calls out Alabama stars: 'I will not lose' Iron Bowl

Losing to Alabama in this weekend's Iron Bowl is not an option for Auburn freshman linebacker Demarcus Riddick.

"Bama is a big rival team," he said Monday, according to Adam Cole of the Montgomery Advertiser. "Every rival team, I've never lost to, and I will not lose to Bama while I'm here."

Riddick added that he sees the Crimson Tide as a "really beatable" team while taking shots at Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams.

"Ryan Williams is Ryan Williams," Riddick said. "Yeah, he's electric and this and that. But in my eyes, he ain't really nobody to me. Ryan Williams is himself. He ain't no big-time player to me."

Williams, one of the nation's most explosive pass-catchers, has been Alabama's top weapon this season, hauling in 42 passes for 804 yards and eight touchdowns, the most in the SEC.

Riddick also expressed confidence in his ability to contain Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe.

"He's fast. But he's not faster than me," said Riddick, who's recorded 25 tackles this season (five for loss), three sacks, and one pass breakup.

"He will not get out of that box this week. That's something that I'm going to have to work on all week at practice, and something that some of the guys are going to have to help me with."

Riddick committed to Auburn as the nation's No. 2 outside linebacker in 2024. The Clanton, Alabama native - who also received an offer from the Crimson Tide - originally joined the Georgia Bulldogs before flipping to the Tigers.

Auburn has won its last two games - including an upset victory over Texas A&M on Saturday - and the Tigers currently have a 5-6 record (2-5 in the SEC).

The Crimson Tide lost to Oklahoma 24-3 on Saturday to drop to 8-3 in 2024, including a 4-3 mark in SEC play. But Alabama has won the last four editions of the Iron Bowl and leads the series with a 50-37-1 all-time record.