Alabama wins its fifth straight Iron Bowl, keeping playoff hopes alive – The Crimson White

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe (#4) breaks through the Auburn defense.

Alabama returned to action in the Iron Bowl on Saturday and showed early signs of dominance in a 28-14 victory over in-state rival Auburn.

“The biggest thing we did was accept the importance of this game,” quarterback Jalen Milroe said. “It was important to get this win with so many things going on with our football team. I thought it was a good opportunity for us to go out and compete.”

A stagnant Auburn offense and two Alabama fumbles led to an early failure to score.

Milroe scored the game’s first points, rushing 19 yards into the end zone for a touchdown, giving the Crimson Tide a 7-0 lead with 3:18 left in the first quarter.

Milroe threw an interception on the team’s next drive and the Tigers capitalized on a 72-yard drive that resulted in a 37-yard field goal. That made it 7-3 in favor of Alabama midway through the second quarter.

The Crimson Tide found a quick answer with a second rushing touchdown by Milroe on a 75-yard drive in which the team converted several third downs.

After preventing Auburn from punting, Milroe fumbled the ball with 1:40 left in the second quarter, giving the Tigers excellent field position at the Alabama 34-yard line.

After the turnover, Auburn was forced to kick a chip-shot field goal despite getting a first down at the Alabama 1-yard line. The score was 14:6 at halftime.

The Crimson Tide came out of the break red hot, racing 75 yards down the field for a touchdown on a 2-yard run by running back Justice Haynes.

After a defensive stop that included a sack on Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne, Alabama engineered a 60-yard drive that ended with Milroe’s third rushing touchdown of the night. At that point, Alabama’s lead had grown to 28-6.

Thorne and the Tigers responded by uncorking a 29-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Cam Coleman and converting a 2-point conversion attempt to make the score 28-14.

Auburn continued to apply pressure, forcing a second fumble from Milroe and setting up at the Alabama 49-yard line with 12:47 to play in the fourth quarter.

The Tigers’ momentum suddenly disappeared when a trick play turned into a disaster, resulting in an Alabama interception by defensive back Bray Hubbard.

“He waited for his chance,” head coach Kalen DeBoer said of Hubbard. “A lot of young players who are biding their time can take a lesson from what he did this year. He’s a guy who plays with passion.”

Both teams took turns running the football, but defensive back Zabien Brown’s interception with 2:29 left sealed the game for the Crimson Tide.

“We were focused on the right things, on this game and what we could control,” DeBoer said. “We did the things we had to do.”

Despite several turnovers, Milroe performed much better this week than he did at Alabama disastrous loss to Oklahoma last week. He finished the game with three rushing touchdowns and 104 rushing yards and 256 passing yards.

“We talk about trust in the team, and I think that’s a good word for him,” DeBoer said. “It’s hard to be the quarterback of a football team, and I think it’s hard to be the quarterback of a program that expects to win every game.”

Wide receiver Germie Bernard was the Crimson Tide’s top receiver, recording seven receptions for 111 yards.

“Germ made some great third-down catches,” DeBoer said. “He’s just stable and has been that way all year.”

On the ground, running backs Justice Haynes and Jam Miller each had solid games. Haynes ran for 20 yards and a touchdown, while Miller ran for 84 yards.

The Crimson Tide received outside help for their playoff chances from South Carolina, which beat No. 12 Clemson, and Syracuse, which beat No. 6 Miami. Alabama will see where it stands during Tuesday night’s College Football Playoff rankings, the last before next Sunday’s official selection show.