The Battle of Two (Mr.) Alabama Quarterbacks

The lead up to this week's top 10 showdown between Auburn and LSU has the familiarity of an Iron Bowl. There's no question that Saturday's game is the marquee match-up in the nation. The hype has been enormous. After all, it's the only match-up of top 10 ten team's on the schedule.

But ultimately it will be decided by the play of the two quarterbacks. While both have vastly different styles, they do share similar collegiate experiences. Brandon Cox and JeMarcus Russell came to college with the highest of pedigrees.

Both were Mr. Football in the state of Alabama; an award given to the top high school player in the state. Cox and Russell have also shared struggles along the way. For Cox, it was a false start, that ultimately led to overcoming illness and some bad publicity (all of which was false) before his career truly got going in 2004 as a back-up to Jason Campbell.

Russell had to battle the expectation game. Being one of the top rated quarterbacks in the country coming out of high school in 2003, the Mobile native was expected by many to start as a red-shirt freshman. While he did split time as a starter, he never got a firm grasp on the position.

Last year, most of the credit for LSU's success went to the defense. Russell struggled against Tennessee, got injured in the Florida game and then watched back-up Matt Flynn have a stellar performance in the Peach Bowl. Many wondered if Russell would be able to hold on to the job this year.

Despite their struggles, both have come full circle. Cox is the undisputed leader of the team and is perhaps the most accurate quarterback in Auburn history. When Mississippi State forced him to throw last week, he responded. That could be the case again Saturday afternoon.

Cox worked hard in the summer during voluntary workouts. He spent a lot of time with the Tigers inexperienced receiving corp. That has already paid dividends this season.

For Russell, Saturday's a chance to win in front of the home crowd and silence the critics once and for all. Many say he still hasn't won the "big one." While that's very much debatable, there's no question that a win Saturday will put that talk to rest.

One things for sure: Neither Auburn or LSU would be ranked where they are today without Brandon Cox and JeMarcus Russell.