Alabama vs Auburn score, takeaways: Mac Jones explodes as No.1 Tide wins routed Iron Bowl without Nick Saban



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The Alabama No.1 wiped out No.22 Auburn 42-13 on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium during the 85th Annual Iron Bowl. Alabama’s biggest stars shone in the 60-minute game, which saw quarterback Mac Jones make his final statement for the Heisman Trophy review as he completed 18 of 26 passes for 302 yards with five touchdowns. .

Jones became the first caller in Iron Bowl history to throw five touchdowns in a single game, and it was his seventh game in 2020 with over 2 scores in the air.

Coach Nick Saban was unable to lead the Crimson Tide on Saturday after being diagnosed positive with COVID-19 during the week. Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian stepped in as interim coach, but Saban watched from home and was impressed with his team’s performance.

“I’m really happy with the result, I can tell you that,” Saban told CBS Sports’ Jamie Erdahl after the game. “… We didn’t finish exactly as we would like, but I’m really proud of our team and proud of our players. … It’s a great win. It’s always great to win this game, the Iron Bowl. It’s something special for the people of Alabama. “

Jones’ first touchdown pass came in the middle of the first quarter when he hit star receiver DeVonta Smith over the top for 66 yards. He followed with a 7-yard score to John Metchie III early in the second quarter and hit tight end Jahleel Billingsley for 24 yards on a nice tactile pass under pressure to push Alabama’s lead to 21- 3 at halftime.

There was more where it came from in the second half. Jones hit Smith again to make it 28-6 and regain momentum after Auburn threw a basket. Metchie caught his second touchdown of the day early in the fourth quarter in a game that ended in the second half. Running back Najee Harris made 11 carries for 96 yards and a touchdown for the Crimson Tide.

Auburn’s offense struggled to get off the ground, and when she got some hope, she seemed to shoot herself in the foot. Quarterback Bo Nix had opened WR Seth Williams on a double move down the middle shortly before half-time on what would have been an easy touchdown. But Williams couldn’t hold on to the perfectly placed pass. Instead of entering half-time 11, Auburn had to scramble to get within reach of goals.

Nix threw an interception four games later in what was a disastrous sequence of events just before half-time. He finished the day 23 of 38 for 227 yards with two picks, while no playmaker gained more than 60 yards in the afternoon.

Keep it locked here for Iron Bowl 2020 takeaways. CBS Sports was with you all game to update this story with analysis and highlights.



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