Kick 6 to pick 6, offense gets rolling and more observations from Auburn’s Iron Bowl win
A ham and cheese omelet from Waffle House, scattered and smothered, with extra bacon on the side, and an extra waffle. Auburn coach Gus Malzahn is eating good Saturday night.
A pick-six of 100 yards, a 98-yard kickoff return touchdown and 15 popped veins in Nick Saban’s forehead.
Yes, the Iron Bowl is everything it’s made out to be. Saturday night’s back-and-forth affair at Jordan-Hare Stadium was just the latest installment.
The Tigers won a shootout over Alabama 48-45 Saturday, crashing Alabama’s playoff hopes and beating the Crimson Tide for the second consecutive time on the Plains.
“When we play at home, and we play them, we get to the fourth quarter, we find a way to win — 2013, 2017,” Malzahn said. “It kind of held true to the script tonight and our crowd has a lot to do with that. Our guys believed and our crowd willed us. It was a team effort.”
The final score hung in the balance, too, until Alabama’s final offensive drive. But the Crimson Tide’s hopes of another College Football Playoff appearance struck the upright and fell harmlessly to the Pat Dye Field grass along with Alabama kicker Joseph Bulovas’ 30-yard field goal attempt with two minutes left.
Here are four observations from a wild Iron Bowl:
Nahjee Harris and Jaylen Waddle are as advertised
Alabama’s defense may not be what it’s been in the past, but the Crimson Tide offense boasts loads of firepower. That was on full display Saturday at Jordan-Hare.
To put into perspective how fast Crimson Tide receiver Jaylen Waddle is: Auburn defenders had good angles to make tackles on his 98-yard kickoff return touchdown and his 58-yard touchdown reception. Remember FSU receiver Kermit Whitefield’s kickoff return touchdown in the 2014 BCS Championship game? It was like that, but quicker.
Waddle scored four total touchdowns, including a go-ahead score with 13:44 left in the game.
Then there was Crimson Tide running back Nahjee Harris, who at one point in the first half averaged more than 10 yards per carry. Harris eclipsed the 140-yard mark in the fourth quarter.
Kick 6 to Pick 6
Kick six, pick six, what’s the difference?
Auburn’s defense has carried the load all season. Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium, it came up big with its backs against the wall in a game it struggled to stop Alabama’s high-powered offense.
The Tigers’ second touchdown of the day came on a 29-yard kickoff return touchdown in the first half. But things really got weird after halftime.
The Crimson Tide had the ball first-and-goal at the Auburn 2-yard line following a pair of flags on the Tigers defense. Alabama quarterback Mac Jones took the snap and faked a handoff to running back Nahjee Harris. He was immediately pressured, though, and threw a desperate pass.
That pass struck the back of an Alabama receiver, and fell right into the hands of Tigers linebacker Zakoby McClain.
McClain promptly returned the interception 100 yards for a touchdown, sending the packed house at Jordan-Hare Stadium into a frenzy.
Defense? What defense?
Remember when most predicted this year’s Iron Bowl to be a defensive struggle? That was a fun week.
Both teams moved the ball at will. JaTarvious “Boobee” Whitlow hit the 100-yard rushing mark. The teams combined for 48 combined points in the second quarter alone.
Auburn quarterback Bo Nix, who holds the Auburn freshman record with 200 completions in a season and the Auburn freshman record with 15 touchdown passes, now holds the Auburn freshman passing yardage record with 2,366 yards (previous: 2,242 by Stan White, 1990).
The Tigers finished with 354 total yards (Alabama finished with a whopping 515 total yards) and both teams averaged more than five yards per play.
“Really, our guys just battled,” Malzahn said. “Their offensive receivers are special good. Their defense is really good, too. We hung in there, found a way to win at the end. Just an electric environment. So thankful for our fans. I mean this is the best atmosphere in college football. They proved it again.”
The Malzahn offense Auburn was waiting for
Auburn’s offense showed up in the fourth quarter against Georgia. It barely had to show up for the Tigers to beat Samford. Saturday was arguably the most complete offensive performance — aside from a few turnovers and unnecessary flags — the Tigers have put together all season.
Receiver Seth Williams, who was lucky not to get tossed after a thrown punch, hit the 1,326 career receiving yard mark in the first half, which ranks 19th among Auburn career leaders. Whitlow hit 1,452 career rushing yards before halftime.
Saturday served as the first time Alabama has surrendered 48-plus points during Saban’s tenure. This was not your grandfather’s Iron Bowl.
Nix finished with 173 passing yards and one touchdown, and ran for another score. Nix was also the Tigers’ second-leading rusher with 44 yards. Whitlow led Auburn with 114 rushing yards, and an average of more than seven yards per rush.
“Before the game started, we knew we had to make plays,” said Tigers receiver Sal Canella, who caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Nix. “That was the motto of the whole day. The offense, defense, special teams, we just had to make plays.
“Everybody, when they had the opportunity, just had to go out there and do what they do.”
Notable
Jaylen Waddle finished with a career-high four touchdowns against Auburn. Three of his scores came on offense with touchdown receptions of 58 yards, 12 yards and 28 yards, while his other came on a 98-yard kickoff return. Waddle’s 98-yard return is a career high, topping his previous best of 20 yards last weekend against Western Carolina.
Smoke Monday recorded his first career interception return for a touchdown; it’s the second interception of his career and the first Auburn score off an interception since Big Kat Bryant scored on an interception against Purdue in last year’s Music City Bowl. It’s the first Auburn interception for a touchdown vs. Alabama since Brad Ware in 1996, per Auburn Athletics.
Zakoby McClain’s 100-yard interception return is the longest by an Auburn player since Walter McFadden (100 yards) in the 2010 Outback Bowl. It’s the longest by an Auburn player vs. Alabama in the history of the rivalry, per Auburn Athletics.
Quotable
“I saw him back there, but I thought they just had him back there to have him back there. When they called and threw the flag, I knew the game was over. I knew we were just going close it out.” - Auburn receiver Seth Williams on Alabama’s game-ending 12 men penalty
This story was originally published November 30, 2019 at 7:30 PM.
