Live Blog: No. 6 Auburn hosts No. 1 Alabama in Iron Bowl showdown

Final: Auburn beats Alabama 26-14.

Final Thoughts: Most teams chant, "We Want Bama." Instead, Auburn is saying, "We Won, Bama."

Jarrett Stidham deserves a ton of credit for the way he played against the No. 1 team in the country. Stidham came through time and again, often showing off his poise when the Crimson Tide defense set up difficult third-down situations. More often than not, Stidham and the offense came through.

Let's not forget about the Auburn defense, either. Alabama stormed down the field to start the second half, scoring on a five-play, 79-yard drive to help the Crimson Tide take its first lead of the day. From that point on, Auburn did not surrender another point.

Alabama takes its last timeout with 2:39 to go in the 4Q. The Crimson Tide stopped the clock after Auburn's Nick Coe sacked Jalen Hurts for a big loss. The Tigers began firing up the crowd as they walked on the field during the break. It's not like the crowd was riled up enough already.

Alabama takes its second timeout with 5:40 to go in the 4Q.

Alabama takes its first timeout with 5:50 to go in the 4Q.

9:19, 4Q: Wow. Play is reviewed because Auburn had 12 men break the huddle. Alabama gets another shot, but the Crimson Tide come up short. Turnover on downs.

9:19, 4Q: Two consecutive plays have given the Tigers a chance to put this game away. Jalen Hurts mishandled two consecutive snaps, the second resulting in a 21-yard loss on fourth down. Auburn takes over on the Alabama 41-yard line up 12 points.

Jarrett Stidham scores on a 16-yard run. Auburn leads Alabama 26-14, 12:49 4Q. Stidham has played very well in the second half of this contest, and this touchdown could be the crowning moment of his first Iron Bowl. Stidham recognized he had room to work with downfield, directed his receivers to block and pushed his way in to the end zone.

End 3Q: Auburn leads Alabama 20-14.

0:30, 3Q: In what may prove to be the play of the game, a bad snap on a would-be 36-yard field goal attempt sent the Crimson Tide's holder off on a mad scramble. He completed a pass, but it was well short of a first down.

Kerryon Johnson scores on a 1-yard rushing touchdown. Auburn retakes the lead, 20-14, 3:02 3Q: Johnson got the last laugh on a 12-play, 69-yard drive, but a lot of credit goes to quarterback Jarrett Stidham. He did an excellent job under pressure when the Tigers' faced third down and helped convert on both plays. He also showed off his running ability twice, including on a 13-yard designed QB keeper that got Auburn just yards away from points.

Daniel Carlson kicks a 44-yard field goal. Auburn now trails Alabama 14-13, 10:12 3Q. Auburn's drive fizzled out courtesy the Alabama defense, which flushed Carlson from the pocket a few times, including on a third-and-8 that ended in an incompletion. The Auburn defense needs to respond, because judging by Alabama's first drive this half, field goals won't cut it for much longer.

Bo Scarbrough scores on a 21-yard rushing touchdown. Alabama leads 14-10, 13:22 3Q. Well, that was quick. The Crimson Tide went 79 yards in five plays thanks in large part to Damien Harris, who had a 12-yard reception then followed that with a 31-yard run down into Auburn territory. That drive was the Crimson Tide's best as far as running the football today, and it gave Alabama its first lead today.

HALFTIME THOUGHTS: Outside Stidham's lost fumble, the Tigers had about as strong of a first half against the No. 1 team in the country as they could have hoped. Auburn relied a lot on screen passes in the first quarter, but the last few drives the offense has seemed willing to get a little more aggressive. Having Kerryon Johnson as a reliable back to keep things moving along helps as well.

The key to the Tigers' holding off the Crimson Tide in the second half will be the Auburn defensive front's play. Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts never had a chance to get comfortable in the first half, and while he did break a few solid runs here and there, he has not been able to make plays consistently through the air or on the ground. That can be attributed to the pressure the Tigers continue to bring, an attack that has paid off more often than not.

Look for the first drive of the second half to be telling for both sides. Alabama will receive the football, and although it only trails by three points, it sure could use a strong march down the field against the stingy Tigers defense.

0:00, 2Q: Daniel Carlson connects on a 34-yard field goal attempt. Auburn leads 10-7. The Tigers' quest for seven points on that drive was thwarted by Alabama's Ronnie Harrison, who made a great hit on Ryan Davis on the Tigers' 3rd-down play.

0:48, 2Q: Auburn takes its second timeout of the first half. The Tigers let the clock run down to 48 seconds as to not give Alabama much time to work with after whatever happens on the upcoming 3rd-and-8. No matter what, Auburn needs to get at least three points out of this drive, especially since Alabama receives the opening kick in the third quarter.

4:59, 2Q: Auburn's latest offensive drive was going smoothly, then Malik Willis came in for a play at quarterback. The Crimson Tide defense knew the run was coming and stuffed him for a 4-yard loss. Credit this as Auburn being a little too creative, especially in a drive that looked promising.

Alabama scores on a 36-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts to Jerry Jeudy. Game tied 7-7, 8:31 2Q. The touchdown was a glimpse of how Hurts can make a defense play. Hurts kept the play alive by moving he pocket before firing a shot downfield toward Jeudy. It was essentially a jump ball in the end zone, and Jeudy made the play.

13:38, 2Q: Auburn defense has done a great job so far of preventing Jalen Hurts to find any sort of comfort within the ever-collapsing pocket. Hurts can hurt a defense if he takes off running -- see what I did there? -- but the Tigers have handled his speed well.

END 1Q: Auburn leads Alabama 7-0. The Tigers had a pretty successful opening 15 minutes, but the last play of the quarter surely stung. Jarrett Stidham couldn't handle the low snap, then tried to grab the ball and was unable to do so. Alabama recovers, eliminating what would have likely been a field-goal attempt for the Tigers.

Auburn takes a 7-0 lead on Kerryon Johnson's 3-yard touchdown pass to Nate Craig-Myers. Yes, you read that correctly. The Tigers get tricky for their first points today, trusting Johnson to make the throw on what we can only assume Alabama thought would be a sure run. Not so fast. The Tigers are on top early.

5:22, 1Q: Auburn opts for its first timeout in the first quarter. The Tigers are in the midst of an impressive drive, which has currently gone 87 yards. Auburn has used several screens through its first two drives, and for the most part, they've worked well against the Alabama defense.

12:24, 1Q: Auburn's first drive showed a little bit of promise thanks to the Tigers getting the ball out to the outside of the field, but it didn't last long. Stidham comes up about a yard short on third down, and the Tigers punt the ball away.

Welcome to another Auburn football live blog, this one coming to you from Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kickoff is now about 30 minutes away.

Before the action begins, here’s a few looks we got in the pregame as well as the basics about today’s matchup.

Pregame:  Former Auburn defensive back Chris Davis came out and led the Tigers crowd in some of the pre-game cheers. Auburn sure hopes this matchup ends the same way it did in 2013 when Davis was the hero.

Here's a look at the starters for Auburn today.

Here are today's starters vs Alabama. #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/iB6ev2m2ZY

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) November 25, 2017

Walking through Auburn’s campus en route to the stadium at 11 a.m., it was obvious fans of both teams were already out in full force.

And, of course, the College GameDay set was packed as the fans awaited guest picker Charles Barkley’s appearance on the show.

The Details

When: 3:30 p.m. EST

Where to Watch: CBS (Commentators: Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson, Allie LaForce)

All-Time Series Record: Alabama leads the series 45-31-1. The two teams have met every year since 1948.

Last Meeting: Alabama defeated Auburn in Tuscaloosa 30-12 in 2016.

What’s on the Line: Frankly, everything for both teams. The winner of today’s Iron Bowl clinches the SEC West division and punches its ticket to play Georgia in the SEC Championship Game next Saturday. For Auburn, that would mean a rematch with a team it dominated 40-17 on Nov. 11. The winner of the SEC Championship is all but guaranteed a spot in the College Football Playoff.

This story was originally published November 25, 2017 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Live Blog: No. 6 Auburn hosts No. 1 Alabama in Iron Bowl showdown."