TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – It wasn’t pretty, but nothing about this season in Alabama was. In the 89th Iron Bowl, Alabama rolled past Auburn in a 28-14 victory that kept critics of Kalen DeBoer’s shaky regime at bay and kept alive the faint flames of the College Football Playoff.
To reduce a rivalry game to the question of how it will affect the College Football Playoff, as the announcers did during Friday night’s Georgia-Georgia Tech game, is to miss the point of this rivalry entirely. Alabama and Auburn have been battling for over a century, and no newly created playoff structure will destroy the fury, anger and resentment that fuel this perfect rivalry.
Whatever happens with the CFP selection committee, happens. The Iron Bowl is about a much larger community — like who will be bragging next year in offices, grocery stores, churches, brewpubs and golf courses across the state of Alabama.
That said, playoff possibilities were indeed in play on Saturday – slim, yes, but possibilities nonetheless. When South Carolina knocked off Clemson shortly before kickoff, Alabama effectively moved into the playoff’s “missed first team,” meaning a loss to a higher seed could potentially open the door for the Tide.
Auburn, meanwhile, was struggling for bowl eligibility and self-esteem after a season that didn’t even reach “relentless” status. Pride was at stake for the Tigers, and pride can take you far in the rivalry game.
Alabama needed to make a statement to the CFP selection committee, and in the first half the Tide made exactly the same statement they’ve made all season: roar one drive, burp the next. Alabama committed three first-half turnovers — two fumbles and a fumble that turned into an interception — while also scoring on Jalen Milroe’s two touchdowns.
The Tigers were able to move the ball at will between the 20s — a throwback to Alabama’s struggles stopping the run last week against Oklahoma — but Auburn managed just two field goals in the first half and the score was 14-6 at halftime.
Alabama scored on its first two possessions of the third quarter, both on rushes, one by Justice Haynes and the third by Milroe. Even with the game apparently safely in hand at 28-6, Alabama and Auburn kept scrapping, leading to a brief breakdown of the sideline:
Auburn showed the faintest glimpses of what could be this season late in the third quarter, when quarterback Payton Thorne led the Tigers on a 10-play, 87-yard drive that culminated in a neat 29-yard touchdown catch with Cam Coleman. Milroe continued his inconsistent play throughout the season and gave Auburn a chance to pull within one possession. But Jarquez Hunter’s lofted pass on a trick play was intercepted at the Alabama 4, and the Tide was able to erase the rest of the time.