Alabama holds off Auburn 27-20 in Iron Bowl thriller, keeping playoff hopes alive

AUBURN, Ala. (WSFA) - The postseason fates of The Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers were on the line as the two rivals clashed inside Jordan Hare Stadium Saturday night during the 90th annual Iron Bowl.

The Crimson Tide entered the game at No. 10 in the college football playoff rankings, needing to defeat Auburn to advance to the SEC Championship game and keep their hopes of making a playoff run alive.

Auburn, looking to spoil those hopes while shutting the Tide out of the SEC title game, needed one more win to qualify for a postseason bowl game.

It was a game dominated by both teams’ defenses, but Alabama’s offense came through at several key moments, allowing them to pull ahead.

A fourth-quarter gambit by Kalen DeBoer paid off after Ashton Daniels helped tie things up with a 66-yard touchdown pass in the waning minutes of the game.

Needing to score on fourth and 2, DeBoer forewent a field goal, and Ty Simpson threw a risky 6-yard pass to Isaiah Horton inside the endzone, giving Alabama the go-ahead score of 27-20.

First Half

Both teams traded punts on their opening drives before Alabama gained a 3-point advantage with a 45-yard field goal by Connor Talty.

The Tigers and Tide engaged in a defensive tug-of-war throughout the first quarter, stopping each other on 3-and-out drives until Ty Simpson connected with Isaiah Horton inside the endzone as he was being tackled for the first scoring touchdown of the game, (10-0).

Alabama found their way back into the endzone on a 3-yard pass by Simpson to Horton once again, leaving the Tigers further behind as the second quarter wound down.

A 33-yard touchdown pass by Ashton Daniels to Malcolm Simmons was wiped off by an illegal formation penalty with 54 seconds left in the first half.

Despite the setback, Auburn pushed all the way to the 3-yard line before being faced with a decision. Instead of going for it, D.J. Durkin opted to take the points with a chip shot field goal by Alex McPherson.

Both teams’ offenses struggled to get the ball moving, but Alabama’s o-line converted on a couple of key third-and-short plays on their last drive of the half to soar ahead to a double-digit lead at halftime. (17-6).

Second Half

Running to his right on third and 11, Ashton Daniels connected with Malcom Simmons down the sideline for a 64-yard touchdown, (17-13).

Alabama converted three first downs on a long, 64-yard push into the redzone, but the Tigers held firm. Sylvester Smith broke up a pass into the endzone by Ty Simpson on fourth down to hold Alabama to a field goal, keeping it a one-possession game, (20-13).

On third and 9, Ashton Daniels threw for 66 yards to Malcom Simmons, who broke through the Tide’s defense and rushed to the 4-yard line where he was finally pushed out of bounds by Domani Jackson.

From there, Jeremiah Cobb rushed down the middle into the endzone to tie the game up 20-20.

On the next possession, Alabama found themselves in the redzone on fourth down with just five minutes of the clock. Rather than settle for an easy field goal, DeBoer and Simpson rolled the dice and went for it. It was a risky play, but it paid off as Simpson connected for the third time with Horton, putting Alabama ahead by 7 points instead of 3.

Auburn’s final drive began at 3:50. As the Tigers were pushing downfield, Cam Coleman fumbled a pass at the 20-yard line with just over 30 seconds left.

The game ended two short drives later, with Auburn’s Bryce Can being brought down at the 43-yard line with no time left on the clock.

Takeaways

Auburn’s offense, which has struggled significantly this season, has looked entirely different during the past two games under interim coach D.J. Durkin.

Ashton Daniels led the game in passing yards, completing 18 of his 29 passing attempts for a total of 259 yards.

While Auburn significantly outgained Alabama in total yards, the game came down to who could make crucial plays at crucial moments, which Ty Simpson did.

Simpson threw for 122 yards, completing 19 of 35 passes. He connected with Isaiah Horton three times inside the endzone, accounting for all but one of Alabama’s scoring touchdowns.

The Tide advances

Alabama’s victory will end Auburn’s season with a 5-7 overall record.

The Tide now turns their focus to Georgia, who waits for them in the SEC Championship game.

The anticipated showdown at Mercedez Benz Stadium next Saturday will be a rematch for the Bulldogs, who fell to Alabama in another close matchup in week 5.

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