Alabama beats Auburn to stay alive in the playoff race

It wasn’t a statement win.

But it was urgently needed.

Alabama’s defense was superior and the offense relied on the trio of Jalen Milroe, Jam Miller and Germie Bernard, defeating Auburn 28-14. It’s the Crimson Tide’s fifth straight win over the rival Tigers and keeps Alabama in the conversation for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Milroe had 256 yards passing and rushed for 104 yards and three touchdowns. Miller was his mainstay in the running game with 28 carries for 84 yards.

Bernard finished the game with seven catches for 111 yards.

“Those were some tough yards for all those guys and you were asking for jams, and that was certainly the case until the end,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. “I thought Germie was going to make some of those great third-down catches, he’s just solid in that regard and that’s been the case all year.”

Alabama struggled with turnovers for the second straight week, as Milroe lost two fumbles and threw an interception. He has recorded six turnovers in the past two weeks. Freshman Ryan Williams also lost a fumble on the Crimson Tide’s first possession.

Despite Auburn’s takeaways, Alabama dominated time of possession, holding the ball 13 minutes longer than the Tigers (36:35-23:25).

The Crimson Tide improves to 9-3 and spent the next weekend waiting and hoping for some “help.” In the College Football Playoff’s new 12-team format, there are five automatic spots for the five highest-ranked conference champions. The remaining seven spots go to major teams, meaning Alabama must finish at least No. 11 in the final CFP rankings to secure a playoff spot.

The Crimson Tide is currently ranked No. 13. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, which DeBoer cited when asked about the Crimson Tide’s playoff spot, the team is ranked No. 14 on the schedule.

“Everyone knows our schedule,” DeBoer said. “I don’t know the exact stats, but I know we beat four top-25 teams during the year. And I don’t know how many, if anyone did. When you talk about the schedule and weekly routines, it’s just tedious. I have to come back every week – the only conference that has to do that is ours. That’s what I would have to say. We have won five of our last six games by playing physical football. We have continued to excel in this area. We are what the game is about. I think those are two pretty big deals. We beat some quality teams – teams that are still out there and playing pretty good ball themselves.”

The Alabama safety shared his coach’s sentiments and hopes to show that the Oklahoma skid is not representative of what this team has to offer.

“Yes, we have won five of the last six games we have played. “We’re playing really well, struggled on the road last week, but you know we’re playing hard, but at the same time we’re going to take it day by day and just keep going,” safety Bray Hubbard said.

The College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Tuesday, December 3rd. The final rankings will be released prior to the announcement of the College Football Playoff field next Sunday, December 8th.