TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — No. 13 Alabama rebounded from last week’s disappointment with a 28-14 win over Auburn in Saturday’s Iron Bowl, keeping the Crimson Tide’s College Football Playoff hopes alive.
Alabama (9-3, 5-3 SEC) saw its Playoff case take a major hit last week when it was upset by Oklahoma for its third loss in Kalen DeBoer’s first season, but the Crimson Tide bounced back in the regular-season finale with a rivalry win to stay in the Playoff bubble mix. In doing so, they guaranteed a losing record for Auburn (5-7, 2-6), which is set to miss a bowl game in Hugh Freeze’s second season after finishing 6-7 with a bowl loss last year.
Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe rushed for a pair of touchdowns in the first half, while the Crimson Tide held Auburn to two second-quarter field goals to build a lead. Alabama then took a commanding 28-6 lead in the third quarter with touchdown runs by Justice Haynes and Milroe, and any threat of an Auburn comeback ended when running back Jarquez Hunter threw an interception on a trick play in Alabama territory following a Milroe fumble early in the fourth quarter.
The Athletic’s projections model gave Alabama a 16 percent chance to make the Playoff before kickoff, but the Crimson Tide received some help on Saturday to bolster their case.
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Here are our immediate takeaways:
Is Alabama a Playoff team?
The Crimson Tide were No. 13 in the Tuesday’s College Football Playoff rankings and needed to win the Iron Bowl and get some help to have a shot at sneaking into the field. Some of the necessary help arrived before kickoff when South Carolina upset No. 12 Clemson; Alabama owns a head-to-head victory over the Gamecocks that, presumably, will keep the Tide ahead in the rankings. There were a few cheers at Bryant-Denny Stadium when the video board showed No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 6 Miami — two teams ahead of Alabama in the rankings — both tied in the second half. Though Notre Dame pulled away for a win at USC, Miami took its second loss of the season, dealing a big blow to a thin resume by knocking the Hurricanes out of the ACC title race.
The Crimson Tide’s case consists of wins over No. 7 Georgia, No. 15 South Carolina and No. 21 Missouri, judged against three losses: to Vanderbilt by five, at Playoff-bound Tennessee and last week’s befuddling 24-3 defeat at Oklahoma.
Did Alabama help its case with its performance Saturday? Maybe. It shrugged off three first-half turnovers thanks to a strong defense. The Tide went up by 22 points on their archrival in the third quarter after Milroe’s third rushing touchdown. Then again, Milroe lost three turnovers for the second consecutive game, and Alabama let Auburn threaten to make it interesting in the fourth quarter.
Losses have consequences. Alabama making the Playoff isn’t a given, nor should it be. But its performance Saturday and results elsewhere kept its hopes alive. — Matt Baker, national college football writer
What Iron Bowl win means for Kalen DeBoer
DeBoer’s ninth win actually ties the most ever by a first-year Alabama coach (Frank Thomas, 1931). On a team level, this game wasn’t a marquee matchup to boost Alabama’s Playoff resume, but it was an important game within the narrative of DeBoer’s first season.
Auburn entered the game with a ton of confidence, thanks to a combination of its own win over Texas A&M and Alabama’s loss to Oklahoma last weekend, then evidenced by the Tigers’ trash talk to start this week. Saturday could’ve been a moment for Auburn to seize some momentum in this rivalry under Freeze amid a disappointing Alabama season; instead, DeBoer led the Tide to a convincing win to start his Iron Bowl career 1-0.
Outside of turnover margin, Alabama won almost every major statistical category on Saturday: total yards, third-down conversions, time of possession, red zone offense and more. It wasn’t a fully dominant Alabama performance — more like a tale of two halves where it was better in the second half — but a double-digit win over Auburn to end the regular season is an ideal outcome. And with signing day a few days away, Alabama regained a little momentum headed into a period of hoping and waiting for more Playoff chaos. — Kennington Smith III, Alabama beat writer
Auburn still can’t get out of its own way
The Tigers have had a close-but-not-quite season with heartbreaking losses by 10 points or fewer to Cal, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Vanderbilt. This was more of the same.
In the first half, Auburn had four trips inside the Alabama 21 … and got six points to show for it. One drive ended on an ugly, 39-yard missed field goal. The second ended on a failed fourth-down attempt when Payton Thorne was pressured into an incompletion. The fourth, in the closing seconds of the second quarter, was the worst: three consecutive stuffed runs inside the 2, then a delay of game penalty and a short field goal.
The Tigers entered Saturday with a turnover margin (minus-11) that was tied for fourth-worst in the country. Even though Auburn won the turnover battle 3-0 in the first half, it still trailed 14-6 going into halftime. The Tigers had a chance to cut it to a one-score game in the fourth quarter after another turnover, but their trick play was intercepted inside Alabama’s 5. — Baker
What happened in the near-brawl?
If there were any doubts about what the Playoff would do for rivalry games, they were answered (again) in the third quarter. Alabama’s DeVonta Smith and Auburn’s KeAndre Lambert-Smith remained entangled with each other after a Tigers pass fell incomplete. The contact continued onto the Auburn sideline and drew a handful of Alabama players. A shoving match followed, and at least one Auburn player swiped at an Alabama player.
Two Crimson Tide defenders, Smith and Malachi Moore, were penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Tensions are high between Alabama and Auburn 😳 pic.twitter.com/YAPVTdb8UU
— ESPN (@espn) November 30, 2024
Fortunately, the fracas fizzled out fairly quickly, not escalating as much as the brawl after Michigan’s upset of Ohio State earlier in the day. — Baker
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Alabama’s defense ends regular season on a high note
Alabama’s defense was on a hot streak entering the trip to Oklahoma, then was thoroughly embarrassed in the 24-3 loss to the Sooners. Against an Auburn team that wanted to do the same things, Alabama’s defense bounced back in a major way.
The Alabama offense did the defense no favors with four turnovers, but the defense allowed just six points from those mishaps. The defense kept Auburn out of the end zone in the first half despite several opportunities, and it showed up again in the fourth quarter in a game-saving moment. With the Crimson Tide ahead 28-14, a Milroe fumble with 12:45 left gave Auburn a prime scoring opportunity just inside Alabama territory. A few plays later, an errant pass from Hunter on a trick play landed harmlessly into Bray Hubbard’s hands for the interception. On Auburn’s next possession, Zabien Brown intercepted Thorne for the second takeaway of the day.
see ball. take ball. 🤫@BraysonHubbard
📺: ABC pic.twitter.com/eNycJxvjO4
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) November 30, 2024
It’s been a year characterized by highs and lows for Alabama, but with 14 points allowed on Saturday, this unit finishes the regular season allowing fewer than 20 points in four of its last five games. Overall, its 17.2 points allowed per game is the lowest mark for an Alabama defense since 2017. — Smith
Too many turnovers and miscues for Alabama offense
A pretty remarkable effort by Alabama’s defense covered up the fact that the offense turned it over four times, which brings its two-week total to seven. Two weeks ago, Alabama was a top-five team nationally with a strong plus-13 turnover margin. That’s been reduced to plus-9.
It was a particularly tough day in that regard for Milroe (one interception, two fumbles), who has had three turnovers in back-to-back games. But the offensive miscues weren’t all on him, as Alabama left a few scoring plays on the field. Both Ryan Williams and CJ Dippre dropped touchdown passes in the first half.
What Alabama did do well on Saturday is run the ball. Alabama recorded 201 yards on the ground, which led to a 36:35 time of possession — a 13-minute advantage over Auburn. Milroe led the way with 104 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries. His 20 rushing touchdowns this season rank fourth all-time in one season at Alabama behind Derrick Henry, Najee Harris and Trent Richardson. At running back, Jam Miller carried the ball a career-high 28 times for 84 yards, and Haynes added a rushing touchdown.
Alabama’s fate is to be determined with other results still coming in, but whether the Tide are in the Playoff or a bowl game seeking a 10th win, the amount of turnovers and lack of complimentary football are trends that need to be fixed in the next game. — Smith
(Photo of Jalen Milroe: Jason Clark / Getty Images)
