If there’s a 6-foot-5, 355-pound mammoth of a man walking the halls of the Auburn Athletic Complex these days, Ryan Pugh has yet to see him.

That’s why Pugh expects to have a little help from his friends when he stares down and attempts to push Alabama’s Terrence Cody out of the way in Friday’s Iron Bowl.

“I don’t know if we have anyone quite his size to match up with him,” Pugh deadpanned. “He’s got good size, good strength. He moves really well for a guy that big. He’s really active.

“A lot of people have trouble blocking him.”

Mount Cody serves as the centerpiece of Alabama’s 3-4 defense, but there are 10 other reasons why there’s been no one better at stopping the run in the SEC.

“A lot of teams we’ve played this year we’ve been able to pick out one spot,” offensive tackle Andrew McCain said. “Alabama is one of those teams that they’re solid all the way around. When you look at that defense, you have to understand that you can’t pick them apart at their weakness because they really don’t have any.”

Especially when it comes to stopping the run, simply because there hasn’t been a game all season where it’s looked vulnerable in that department.

The Tide is best in the conference in both yards allowed per carry (2.4) and per game (70.4). Only fellow undefeated Texas (1.6, 50.1) has been better.

Run-heavy teams like Virginia Tech (18th in the nation), Mississippi State (12th) and Kentucky (20th) have been stymied nearly 100 yards below their season averages against the Crimson Tide, which has allowed more than 100 rushing yards twice and has had just four teams crack an average of 3 or more yards per carry.

Auburn comes into Friday’s game ranked third in the SEC and 11th in the nation in rushing offense, the backbone of Gus Malzahn’s play-action-reliant offense. It will also come into the game knowing that it has yet to face a defense anywhere near as stingy as its in-state rival.

“We’ve just got to play good on every snap and we’ve got to be able to block guys one-on-one on every snap because we can’t run at this guy, run at this side and think it’s going to be easier than the other way,” McCain said. “They’re just solid all the way around.”

In their game against the next-best rush defense it’s faced behind Alabama, the Tigers, while putting up just their third-worst total of the season, had arguably their least consistent effort against Georgia.

Auburn broke just one 20-yard run and simply could not rely on its ground game, forcing Chris Todd to carry the load through the final three quarters. That’s been the formula for stopping the Tigers this season, and it’s recipe for a lopsided blowout if it happens against Alabama.

“It’s greatly important,” Malzahn said. “With our offense we need to be balanced. When we’re balanced, we’re a solid offense. When we’re not, we’re not. We will be striving to be balanced and try to take what they give us.”

If recent history prevails, it won’t be much.

On top of Cody, whom Gene Chizik said will require a double-team, Alabama boasts stalwart ends alongside him, playmakers Mark Barron and Javier Arenas in the secondary and a bevy of tough linebackers, spearheaded by Rolando McClain, who has had his name tossed around the wide-open Heisman Trophy field.

“We’ve got to know where those guys are at all times,” tailback Ben Tate said.

Knowing, of course, is only half the battle.

“They’re good on the edge and they’re very good on the back end,” Malzahn said. “It’s one of those things where we’re going to have to execute and we’re going to have to make some plays and get the momentum going in our favor.”

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