IRON BOWL 2020: Best laid plans never materialize in Tigers loss to Bama
Scenes from Auburn’s loss to Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday. (Auburn University/Todd Van Emst)
By GRAHAM DUNN
TUSCALOOSA – In their last two games, the Auburn Tigers had not scored a point in the first quarter.
That’s the bad news.
The good news was the Auburn defense had given up just seven points in wins over LSU and Tennessee.
The idea heading into the 85th Iron Bowl was to control tempo early, get a score or two if possible and hold on to the thought of keeping any Alabama scoring to a minimum.
Do that and get to the second half and anything’s possible. Right?
The problem in the 42-13 loss on Saturday was the Tigers were unable to create any of that scenario.
While the Crimson Tide scored just once in the first period, it was a 66-yard strike from Mac Jones to Devonta Smith and it set the tone for the rest of the afternoon at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
“We came out flat and you can’t come out flat against a team like that on the road,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. “The first half we really didn’t do anything in all three phases to create any kind of momentum. We did have an opportunity for the touchdown that we dropped but at halftime we came in and said let’s get off to a good start.”
It didn’t help that the first three drives of the day netted 40 yards and three punts. All three of the drives started behind the 20-yard line.
At the same time, Alabama scored twice and led 14-0 before the Auburn offense could get any traction.
“We were in some tough third-and-long situations especially early,” stated quarterback Bo Nix. “We continued to try to run the ball. We were able to move the ball at the end of the game but it was a little too late.”
Auburn’s best play of the first half never materialized when Nix found Seth Williams over the middle for what would have been a sure touchdown and pulled the Tigers to within 14-10.
But Williams dropped the pass at inside the Bama 20-yard line. The drive ultimately ended on an interception by Malachi Moore in the last seconds of the half.
“Few times we shot ourselves in the foot,” Malzahn said. “We had opportunities but when you get in the red zone you have to score touchdowns against the No. 1 team in the country on the road. Frustrating thing to me is we didn’t apply any pressure on them and they could play loose the entire game.”
Meanwhile the Auburn defense failed to keep up with the prolific passing game of Jones, Smith et al who torched the defense for 302 passing yards and 143 yards on the ground. The lone highlight was a fumble recovery late in the game near the Auburn goal line, else the score would have been much worse.
“The explosive plays (are) what stands out,” Malzahn said. “When they got inside our 40-yard line and we got inside their 40-yard line and we kicked field goals.”
The Tiger defense came in touting the thought of slowing the opponent’s top receiver in the last three games. But on Saturday, Smith hauled in seven passes for 171 yards and two scores. His opening touchdown came with just over five minutes left in the first quarter and with no white jerseys in the vicinity.
“We’ve done really good against the top receivers in our league,” Malzahn said. “They got us on miscommunication on two of our guys. He busted out wide open in the middle of the field. He’s a dynamic player.
“They have talented receivers and we knew we had to apply pressure on the quarterback but give him credit. He was very accurate for some explosive plays.”
In this COVID-19 season, the Tigers have a rare opportunity to make up for the performance next week against Texas A&M. The Aggies are in the thick of the playoff race after their win over LSU on Saturday.
Malzahn expects his team to bounce back.
“You got to be big boys. You got to take it like a man,” Malzahn said. “They got after us and whipped us. But we’ve got two games left. We have to rebound. It’s a grind but that’s this season.”