TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It wasn’t pretty, but then nothing about this Alabama season has been. In the 89th installment of the Iron Bowl, Alabama outpaced Auburn for a 28-14 victory that kept the critics of the wobbly Kalen DeBoer regime at bay and kept the faint flames of a College Football Playoff berth alive.
To boil down a rivalry game to a question of how it will impact the College Football Playoff, as announcers did during Friday night’s Georgia-Georgia Tech game, is to utterly miss the point of a rivalry game. Alabama and Auburn have been battling for more than a century, and no newly created playoff structure is going to dent the fury, rage and loathing that animate this perfect rivalry.
Whatever happens with the CFP selection committee, happens. The Iron Bowl is about much more parochial concerns — like who’s going to have bragging rights for the next year at offices, grocery stores, churches, cookouts and golf courses around the state of Alabama.
That said, there were indeed playoff possibilities at stake on Saturday — faint, yes, but possibilities nonetheless. When South Carolina knocked off Clemson shortly before kickoff, Alabama effectively moved into the “first team left out” spot in the playoff bracket, meaning a loss by a higher-seeded team could potentially have opened the door for the Tide.
Auburn, meanwhile, was fighting for bowl eligibility, and for self-respect after a season that didn’t even reach “underwhelming” status. Pride was at stake for the Tigers, and pride can carry you a long way in a rivalry game.
Alabama needed to make a statement to the CFP selection committee, and in the first half, the Tide made the exact same statement they’ve made all season: roars one drive, burps the next. Alabama committed three turnovers in the first half — two fumbles and an overthrow that became an interception — while at the same time scoring on two Jalen Milroe touchdowns.
The Tigers could move the ball at will between the 20s — a throwback to Alabama’s struggles stopping the run last week against Oklahoma — but Auburn could only manage two field goals in the first half, and the halftime score stood at 14-6.
Alabama scored on its first two possessions in the third quarter, both on rushes, one from Justice Haynes and a third from Milroe. Even with the game apparently securely in hand at 28-6, Alabama and Auburn kept scrapping, leading to a brief sideline throwdown:
Auburn showed the faintest flashes of what could have been 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 tidy 29-yard touchdown to Cam Coleman. Milroe, continuing his season-long inconsistent play, fumbled and gave Auburn a chance to pull within one possession. But a lofted Jarquez Hunter pass on a trick play was intercepted at the Alabama 4, and the Tide were able to grind out the rest of the clock.
Milroe finished the game with 256 yards passing and 104 yards rushing, including three touchdowns on the ground, one interception and two fumbles lost. As a team, Alabama turned the ball over four different times, but Auburn could only convert those turnovers into two field goals. Germie Bernard led Alabama with 111 yards receiving, while Jam Miller had 28 carries on the night.
Thorne, meanwhile, finished the game with 301 yards passing and 42 yards on the ground, throwing one touchdown and one interception. Auburn’s KeAndre Lambert-Smith led all receivers with 116 yards. But Auburn was only 4 of 12 in third-down conversions, well below Alabama’s 12-of-18.
Auburn and Freeze face some severe and difficult questions now. This season marked a step back for the Tigers — last year, a six-win Auburn team reached the Music City Bowl — and Freeze was hired in part because of his history of beating Alabama. He’s now 0-2 in Iron Bowls and called the season “humbling” and “frustrating.” Auburn has now lost the last five Iron Bowls.
“We have one top-10 (recruiting) class and hopefully we can land another next week,” Freeze said following the game. “We have to go back and try to finish it, then hit the portal to make sure we aren’t feeling this way next year.”
After the game, DeBoer offered up a bit of lobbying for the Tide to get a CFP berth, noting that “everyone’s aware of our schedule … we beat four top-25 teams throughout the year, and I don’t know how many, if anyone, has done that.” He added that Alabama has won five of its last six, and — like many SEC defenders — pointed to the conference’s punishing week-in, week-out scheduling as a point in the Tide’s favor.
For now, all Alabama can do is wait. The door is open a little wider now than it was before, thanks to Miami’s loss, but there’s still a long way to go — and much committee discussion — before Alabama can secure even a low CFP slot.
Asked whether the Tide are a playoff team, Milroe took a diplomatic route. “I think we’re a team that’s going to enjoy this win,” he said. “It’s not for us to decide what our future looks like.”