Derick Hall injury briefly sidelines key Auburn pass-rusher in Iron Bowl vs. Alabama

Alabama and Auburn are underway in the Iron Bowl and there’s been a ton of hard hitting in the early going. And already a Derick Hall injury has hit the Tigers thanks to some crossfire on the pass rush.

Hall came off the left side of Alabama’s offensive line and worked his way past left tackle Tyler Steen to get pressure on quarterback Bryce Young as he threw a pass over the middle. But as he came around the edge as Young released his pass, teammate Colby Wooden appeared to run into Hall, hitting him hard in the upper body area.

Hall was immediately tended to on the field by trainers, then walked off to the team’s injury tent.

He appeared to be favoring his left arm and/or shoulder as he entered.

“For Derick Hall for Auburn, his mom was standing right next to me at the fence,” CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell said on the air. “The trainers came over, said he was stepped on. But he’s been playing through pain. They wrapped up that left forearm, guys.”

Hall has been an instrumental part of the Auburn pass rush so far this season, racking up 58 tackles, 11.0 tackles for a loss, 7.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and six quarterback hurries.

Alabama promptly capitalized on the Derick Hall injury, converting the drive into a touchdown courtesy of a 10-yard pass from Young to running back Jase McClellan. The score gave the Crimson Tide an early 14-7 lead with 1:37 remaining in the first quarter.

Hall checked back into the game on the ensuing series for Auburn.

Auburn gunning for Iron Bowl win for seniors

Despite a tough season that saw coach Bryan Harsin less than two full years into his tenure the Tigers have come together nicely heading into the Iron Bowl.

The Tigers have won their last two games and are using their seniors as motivation on Saturday. A win would extend their careers by another game, getting Auburn to six wins and bowl eligibility.

“It means so much to me for these seniors, to be honest with you. We have a group of guys in that locker room where nobody has ever won in Bryant-Denny Stadium,” interim head coach Carnell “Cadillac” Williams said Tuesday. “To come out with a victory – that will be huge. Again, I honestly mean this, whatever happens on Saturday, I want to enjoy today. We started the process today. We start our practice, our walkthrough. We started grinding. We started working.

“In order for us to even have a chance for Saturday, we have to take care of today. And to me, it’s all mindset and that is what’s starting at five o’clock. We are not worrying about Saturday. We have to take care of Monday to give us an opportunity to have a shot on Saturday.”