Crimson Tide Rolls Over Auburn Tigers
Completes 12-0 Regular Season
Completes 12-0 Regular Season
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| 2016 Iron Bowl Photo Credit: Alabama Athletics |
The University of Alabama Crimson Tide overcame first half adversity, most of which by its own hands, to dash the hopes of the Auburn Tigers in the 81st Annual Iron Bowl held this year in Bryant-Denny Stadium in front of 101, 821 fans in beautiful Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Tigers drew first blood, and it still took awhile before the Tide began to roll, but eventually came rolling in as an unstoppable tsunami to drown the kitty cats from the Plains 30-12.
Alabama true freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts overcame two early-game interceptions to wow the crowd with 285 yards in a aerial attack that the Tigers really had no answer for. Then in the second half the ground game began chewing up yards that sent Auburn back on its heels. Gone is the Tiger's eight-game streak without allowing a rushing touchdown. Alabama ended that little pipe dream.
Alabama improves to 12-0 overall, 8-0 in the Southeastern Conference while the Auburn Tigers fell to 8-4 overall, 5-3 in the SEC. The top-ranked Tide only led by four points at halftime, 13-9, though holding a huge lop-sided statistical lead, over the 13th-ranked Tigers. Bama had 263 yards of total offense in the first half, to just 31 for Auburn. The Crimson Tide compiled 194 passing yards, 69 rushing yards as well as one touchdown and two field goals for that 13-9 lead. Auburn had four passing yards with 27 rushing yards. And first half first downs? Alabama had a huge 14 to one edge.
Plus, the Tide defense added another four quarters without allowing a touchdown, bring the total to just over 14.
Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban said, "We had some really, really challenging field position situations in this game, and our players responded really well to it."
Fumbles and interceptions in the game kept the boys from Bama in awkward positions offensively. Most teams would have struggled defensively as well considering the number of times the Tide gifted the Tigers with good field position, but the Alabama defense held, keeping the visitors out of its end zone for touchdowns no matter how far they ventured into the red zone. But, Hurts overcame those problems also, and completed a total of 27-of-36 passes and threw for two touchdowns giving Bama its third consecutive Iron Bowl victory for the first time since 1990-92.
Plus, the Tide defense added another four quarters without allowing a touchdown, bring the total to just over 14.
Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban said, "We had some really, really challenging field position situations in this game, and our players responded really well to it."
Fumbles and interceptions in the game kept the boys from Bama in awkward positions offensively. Most teams would have struggled defensively as well considering the number of times the Tide gifted the Tigers with good field position, but the Alabama defense held, keeping the visitors out of its end zone for touchdowns no matter how far they ventured into the red zone. But, Hurts overcame those problems also, and completed a total of 27-of-36 passes and threw for two touchdowns giving Bama its third consecutive Iron Bowl victory for the first time since 1990-92.
Saban commented, "At halftime, I guess everybody thought I was going to throw a fit, but I told them, `Look guys, all we've got to do is go out there and play with some poise and confidence."
Additionally, Hurts rushed for 37 yards and a touchdown, plus he directed two straight touchdown drives in the third quarter. He ran for a 4-yard score on a drive heavily-infused by four Bo Scarbrough runs. Then on a fourth-and-4 play, he hit receiver ArDarius Stewart, who crossed the goal line on a 38-yard catch and dash giving the Tide a 27-9 lead. Scarbrough rushed for 90 yards while Stewart picked up 127 yards on 10 reception.
Concerning his touchdown scoring play, ArDarius Stewart said, "It was like two reads in one. If the guy is playing press, I had to slant it out; if the guy is playing soft, it was like a regular hitch. He came up, and I saw he was playing outside, so I had to go out a little bit, cut in and get open. Jalen (Hurts) threw a perfect ball, and I just turned it up the sideline, tried to tight rope it, and it worked out."
Alabama picked up a total of 501 yards in Saturday's contest, while limiting Auburn to 182. While the Tide broke the Tiger's streak of keeping teams out of its end zone via the rush, Auburn wasn't as fortunate to break the Tide's streak of holding teams out of the end zone. The Tigers weren't even able to muster a first down until nearly 25 minutes into the game and, with few exceptions, had no passing game.
Saban said, "I really can't say enough about the great feeling that I have in terms of the way our guys competed in the game today. This is a great win, and I want our players to enjoy it, but we also have a big challenge coming up next week. This is sort of like being in the playoffs, so we've got to play the game next week and we'll get ready for that starting on Monday and go from there."
Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said, "Obviously, it was a tough loss for our team. I am proud of our guys, the way they competed. Our defense played extremely well until they got worn down. It really stands out to me that the time of possession is doubled. They just got worn down. Offensively, just didn't get first downs. Really just didn't get it done. You know, (we were) 2-of-12 on third downs, I really think that really caused the problem. Twenty plays in the first half. And really, if you look at it, 20 plays in the first half; even with 20 plays we had a chance. I mean we were right there in the game, we went three-and-out, I think they scored, and then it was kind of an uphill battle from there on. But third downs, we didn't hit explosive plays, defense was on the field too long. That was really the story of the day. Obviously, we've got players in there that are hurting, coaches are hurting. This is a tough one. We didn't play well. Give them credit. They're a good team. We really expected to play better, and we didn't."
First Quarter
The Crimson Tide outgained the Tigers by a whopping 160 yards to just 1 yard, yet led by only the slimmest of margins, 10-3. Bama broke the 3-3 deadlock on a 17-yard catch-and-run from Jalen Hurts to ArDarius Stewart with 2:49 remaining. The play capped a three-play 55-yard drive giving the Tide the lead.
Alabama had 8 first downs in the quarter to zero for Auburn. The Tide had a hard time holding onto the ball, fumbling three times but were at least to keep possession. Alabama was 1-for-3 in third down conversions while Auburn went 0-for-3.
Second Quarter
The Crimson Tide added another 103 yards of total offense to the talley in the second quarter, bringing its total offensive output to 263 yards as opposed to just 31 yards for the Tigers. By the half Alabama had 194 passing yards and 69 rushing yards as compared to just four passing yards and 27 rushing yards for Auburn. The Tide now led in first downs 14-1, as well as in total number of plays 44-20. Bama was 3-3 in the red zone, while Aubie never made it that far despite having good field position through much of the half. Alabama had zero points off turnovers in the half, while six of Auburn's nine points were directly related to Tide turnovers.
Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts now took sole possession of second place on the UA single-season TD responsibility list with 32. Blake Sims (2014) is first at 35. Additionally, Hurts moved to second on the Alabama single-season total offense list with 3,202 yards. Blake Sims (2014) is first with 3,837 yards.
With those lop-sided statistics one would have thought the Tide to lead by more than the 13-9 score.
Third Quarter
It was the third quarter where the Crimson Tide began to finally wrest control of the game from the Tigers. Alabama scored two touchdowns to go up 27-9 on Auburn, before the Tigers managed yet another field goal late to bring the score a bit closer at 27-12.
Fourth Quarter
Alabama owned the fourth quarter. Auburn was through scoring and the Tide added another three points to the final tally, but pretty much moved the ball at will in the final stanza. Bama freshman running back Joshua Jacobs took his opportunity to shine on a couple of big pickups, one being a 26-yard run and the other a 30-yard catch-and-run.
The Tide ate up nine minutes of clock-time keeping the ball away from the Tigers to secure the win. Near the end of the game you could see Nick Saban tell offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin that was enough and then took off his headset.
The No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide, the undisputed champions of the SEC West, now faces the No. 15 Florida Gators in the SEC championship game in Atlanta, Georgia for the second consecutive year this next Saturday, December 3rd. The game will be televised by CBS beginning at 3 p.m. CT at the Georgia Dome.
With those lop-sided statistics one would have thought the Tide to lead by more than the 13-9 score.
Third Quarter
It was the third quarter where the Crimson Tide began to finally wrest control of the game from the Tigers. Alabama scored two touchdowns to go up 27-9 on Auburn, before the Tigers managed yet another field goal late to bring the score a bit closer at 27-12.
Fourth Quarter
Alabama owned the fourth quarter. Auburn was through scoring and the Tide added another three points to the final tally, but pretty much moved the ball at will in the final stanza. Bama freshman running back Joshua Jacobs took his opportunity to shine on a couple of big pickups, one being a 26-yard run and the other a 30-yard catch-and-run.
The Tide ate up nine minutes of clock-time keeping the ball away from the Tigers to secure the win. Near the end of the game you could see Nick Saban tell offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin that was enough and then took off his headset.
The No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide, the undisputed champions of the SEC West, now faces the No. 15 Florida Gators in the SEC championship game in Atlanta, Georgia for the second consecutive year this next Saturday, December 3rd. The game will be televised by CBS beginning at 3 p.m. CT at the Georgia Dome.
| Game Stats | AU | UA |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 182 | 501 |
| Pass Yards | 116 | 298 |
| Rushing Yards | 66 | 203 |
| Penalty Yards | 4-19 | 4-28 |
| 1st Downs | 7 | 26 |
| 3rd Downs | 2-12 | 8-16 |
| 4th Downs | 0-1 | 2-2 |
| TOP | 19:31 | 40:29 |
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| 2016 Iron Bowl Photo Credit: Alabama Athletics |
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| 2016 Iron Bowl Photo Credit: Alabama Athletics |
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| 2016 Iron Bowl Photo Credit: Alabama Athletics |
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What Saban Said In Iron Bowl Post Game Interview
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| Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban Photo Credit: Alabama Athletics |
University of Alabama head coach Nick Saban spoke to the press following the Crimson Tide's 30-12 victory in the 81st Iron Bowl yesterday. The Bama skipper was proud of his team, as well he should have been.
Here is Saban's opening statement:
"This was a great win for our team. I'm really proud of our team,
especially the way that they played in the second half. We turned it
around on offense and really dominated the game in terms of time of
possession. We had some really good drives. We didn't always finish, but
we really executed a lot better in the second half.Here is Saban's opening statement:
"This is a game that means a lot to a lot of people in this state. I'm certainly happy for our supporters, our fans and the people who support The University of Alabama that they can be happy about the victory we had today.
"Auburn has a really good team, and we knew this was going to be a tough game. I'm really proud of the way our guys competed. I'm proud of our seniors for the career that they've had here. They're going to have more opportunities to play, just not here in Bryant-Denny Stadium. Those guys have had a fantastic career. They've contributed vitally to the program, not only as football players, but the kind of the people they are with the examples they set as leaders and the good job they've done academically with having success academically.
"I really can't say enough about the great feeling that I have in terms of the way our guys competed in the game [yesterday]. This is a great win, and I want our players to enjoy it, but we also have a big challenge coming up next week. This is sort of like being in the playoffs, so we've got to play the game next week and we'll get ready for that starting on Monday and go from there."
Concerning the Bama D not giving up a touchdown, Saban said, "Our defensive players really play well together. Auburn presents some tough issues and challenges with personnel groups, motions, and formation adjustments, so I thought our guys did a really good job for the most part adjusting to those.
"The defense was put in some really tough spots in this game. I think there was a point in the game where they had only one or two first downs but had nine points because of turnovers, poor punts and poor punt coverage they had a big return on. So, we had some really challenging field positions in this game and our players responded well to it."Look, we just play one play at a time and try to prepare our guys the best we can to go out there and play well. Losing two guys in the secondary today, Tony Brown and Marlon (Humphrey), was really difficult. I think Marlon will be okay. We just didn't put him back into the game. After losing Eddie (Jackson) a few weeks ago, we're pretty thin back there (in the secondary), but the guys that went in certainly did a good job for us and didn't hurt us in any way.
"I was really proud of the way the guys competed. I can't tell you about the scoring touchdowns thing. I know our guys are very competitive and have a lot of pride, and they have played at a really high level – especially in these past three or four games."
Here's what Saban had to say about the adjustment of the offensive line and their play in the second half of the contest:
"I think in the second half they responded really well. We didn't run the ball great in the first half. I think that was part of the issue. We put a lot on the quarterback, and he was struggling a little bit, turned the ball over a couple of times, and we weren't executing the way we needed to. I guess everybody thought I was going to throw a fit (at halftime), but I just said, 'Look guys. All we have to do is go out and play with some poise and confidence. Trust and believe in how we do things, what we do, and everybody needs to go do their job because we have too many guys that are making mistakes, not blocking the right guys.' We needed to control the line of scrimmage in the second half and control the game."I think our offensive line a good job of that in the second half, especially. Bo Scarbrough did a really good job in the second half, and I think all of our other backs did too, but he hasn't played for a while and he was a big boost getting in there and gaining 90 yards. He had some big runs."
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Alabama Captures All 64 1st-Place Votes In Coaches Poll
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Alabama Holds Firm Grip On No. 1 In A.P. Poll
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Alabama Captures All 64 1st-Place Votes In Coaches Poll
1 Alabama
2 Ohio State
3 Clemson
4 Washington
5 Wisconsin
6 Michigan
7 Oklahoma
8 Penn State
9 Colorado
10 Oklahoma State
11 USC
12 Florida State
13 West Virginia
14 Western Michigan
15 Louisville
16 Florida
17 Stanford
18 Virginia Tech
19 Auburn
20 Navy
21 LSU
22 Nebraska
23 South Florida
24 Utah
25 Iowa
Others Receiving Votes
Boise State 93; Houston 58; Pittsburgh 56;
Washington State 44; Texas A&M 34; Miami (Fla.) 34; Temple 26;
Tennessee 23; San Diego State 18; Air Force 12; North Carolina 9;
Georgia Tech 9; Minnesota 6; Tulsa 5; Appalachian State 3; Western
Kentucky 2; Wyoming 1; Middle Tennessee 1; Troy 1.
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Alabama Holds Firm Grip On No. 1 In A.P. Poll
The University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team has a firm grip on the No. 1 spot in this week's Associated Press College Football national rankings. Bama picked up all first place votes once again for the top slot, followed by Ohio State, Clemson, Washington and Michigan to round out the top five.
Only four teams from the Southeastern Conference remain in this week's poll, with the Crimson Tide being the only one from the SEC in the top 10. The SEC teams ranked this week are Alabama (1), Florida (15), Auburn (18) and LSU (21).
Here are the top 25 according to the Associated Press for Week 14:
1 Alabama Crimson Tide
2 Ohio State
3 Clemson
4 Washington
5 Michigan
6 Wisconsin
7 Oklahoma
8 Penn State
9 Colorado
10 USC
11 Oklahoma State
12 Florida State
13 Western Michigan
14 West Virginia
15 Florida
16 Louisville
17 Stanford
18 Auburn
19 Virginia Tech
20 Navy
21 LSU
22 Iowa
23 Nebraska
24 (tie) South Florida
24 (tie) Pitt
Others receiving votes:
Houston 98, Boise St. 92, Utah 88,
Washington St. 35, Texas A&M 33, Air Force 22, Temple 21, Tennessee
12, Troy 7, Miami 5, Georgia Tech 2, Tulsa 1
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Is Lane Kiffin Headed To LSU?
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| Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin Photo Credit: Alabama Athletics |
There has been much speculation concerning Alabama football's offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin leaving the Crimson Tide to be the offensive coordinator for new LSU head coach Ed Orgeron and the Tigers. The rumor began shortly before the official announcement of the "interim" being taken off the head coaching title for Orgeron and was fueled even more once the official announcement came.
There are two distinct ways of thinking here, as far as a "lateral" move for Kiffin is concerned. He wants to be a head coach again. No doubt about that. His contract was renewed this year, yet purposefully set to expire only months later at the end of this season. As to whether that was a negotiating situation best suited to Kiffin or the University of Alabama is not known. What is known, however, is that the contract was good for only months instead of a year or years.
Many cite the friendship and previous working relationship of Orgeron and Kiffin as a reason Kiffin would make a lateral move. After all, Orgeron worked for Kiffin at both Tennessee and USC. Kiffin isn't going somewhere based on friendship alone...take that to the bank.
Another school of thought is that the right hires for offensive and well as defensive coordinators would insure at least a little tenure at LSU for Orgeron. Former coach Les Miles was "old school," and rankled many of the donors and fans as not being willing to change with the times and add a little excitement to the program and pick up some more conference championships leading to more national championships.
Kiffin could actually help himself by making either choice...going to LSU or remaining at Alabama. The longer he is with Saban the more polish the man receives and the more distance to the other head coaching "fires" of the past. And of course Saban will retire some day. However, should Orgeron not make it at LSU, as long as the offense had been performing well, Kiffin could actually then be considered for the head coaching position.
But what does Ed Orgeron have to say about the situation? When asked about the possible hiring of Lane Kiffin, Orgeron commented, "All I'm going to say is I'm going to go out and get the best coordinator in football."
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Southeastern Conference Football Scores
#1 Alabama 30 #13 Auburn 12
Kentucky 41 11 Louisville 38
Georgia 27 Georgia Tech 28
Mississippi State 55 Ole Miss 20
LSU 54 Texas A&M 39
Missouri 28 Arkansas 24
South Carolina 7 #4 Clemson 56
Vanderbilt 45 #17 Tennessee 34
#15 Florida 13 #14 Florida State 31
LSU 54 Texas A&M 39
Missouri 28 Arkansas 24
South Carolina 7 #4 Clemson 56
Vanderbilt 45 #17 Tennessee 34
#15 Florida 13 #14 Florida State 31
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Crimson Tide Volleyball Wins Final Regular Season Match
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| Alabama Volleyball Wins Final Regular Season Match Photo Credit: Alabama Athletics |
For the third time in Tide volleyball history Alabama (20-11, 9-9 SEC) ends its regular season with at least 20 wins. Saturday's victory is the fourth-consecutive over LSU (9-20, 4-14 SEC). giving Bama six wins in its final seven matches of the season.
Leading the Crimson Tide with 30 kills, as well as pushing her Alabama-record career total to 2,148 was Krystal Rivers. She also led the team with a .306 hitting percentage and earned 10 digs for her 10th double-double of the 2016 season. Brittany Thomas closed out the contest just two kills shy of a double-double herself with eight kills and 12 digs along with a career-high six blocks. Natalie Murison led the Tide with 18 digs while Shannon Mikesky and Alexa Tomlak once again split setting duties with 18 and 12 digs, respectively.
The NCAA Tournament field will be announced this evening on ESPNU live at 8 p.m. CT.
| Game Stats | UA | LSU |
|---|---|---|
| Kills | 55 | 42 |
| Errors | 22 | 28 |
| Hitting % | .217 | .101 |
| Points | 76.5 | 55.0 |
| Aces | 5 | 5 |
| Blocks | 16.5 | 8.0 |
| TA | 152 | 139 |
| Assists | 53 | 38 |
