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Alabama had little trouble avenging last year’s Iron Bowl loss with a 42-13 clinic Saturday night at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Even without Nick Saban, the top-ranked Crimson Tide ticked all the boxes to move up to 8-0. Mac Jones got back on track with five touchdown passes on another dominant afternoon for DeVonta Smith.
Anyway, we’re back for another Sunday night DVR rewind of this one. Without further ado, here are some observations, notes and bonus background from an Iron Bowl win for Alabama.
– We’ll start by saying that the sight of Steve Sarkisian leading Alabama off the team bus was even more bizarre in person. All I kept thinking all night long was how Saban digested every moment as it went. When it comes to the administration of the game, there was never a difference if you didn’t know Saban was home.
– It was clear that Alabama’s defense was elevated from the start, flying around and tackling ground play. The first of three sacks also came in first possession after Alabama entered the game 11th of 14 SEC teams with 11 sacks. You could hear the 19424s in crimson when Chris Allen and Will Anderson combined for that first Bo Nix bag. All eight tackles for a loss also tied Alabama’s season high.
– Alabama’s offensive start was far from inspiring considering he started at Auburn’s 34-yard line. Mac Jones was off target on two deep shots and was forced to clear after a third conversion was called up. It should be noted that Alabama’s starting position (its own 36-yard line) was 14 yards better than Auburn’s (22 yards).
– The topic of non-DeVonta Smith receptors was discussed in this space last week. Slade Bolden was the target on the incomplete second deep ball of the first practice and he was not thrown out the rest of the game as his injured ankle still seemed to be a problem. John Metchie’s nine targets, however, were more than Smith’s seven.
–Alabama’s running game was oddly quiet in the first quarter given Tennessee’s rushing success (222 yards, 5.4 average) last week. The Tide had just 2 yards on five carries after the first quarter with Najee Harris rather well contained.
–I’m not sure I saw a more efficient or harsher fake pump than what Jones dropped on Smith’s 66-yard touchdown pass. Our view of the game’s press room was perfect to see Smith seven yards behind the nearest DB when he caught the ball at the 26-yard line for the walk-in score.
– No one tells Saban but Auburn beat Alabama in possession time, from 36:30 to 23:30. My favorite misleading statistic was the first tries. Auburn finished with 20. Alabama finished with 20. Think about it.
– Another interesting number: Auburn had 19 third bet games (the most for any Tide opponent this year). He converted nine times or 47.4% – better than the 39.3% that Alabama allows on average. Returning to the low thirds total, opponents from Alabama faced 129 as Tide’s attack saw only 87. This shows the impact of an attack from Alabama that can strike so quickly. .
– It looked like Steve Sarkisian was devising creative ways to bring DeVonta Smith the ball with so much focus on the senior receiver. Passes, screens and the end of the swing helped Smith win the ball into space and his 171 receiving yards more than tripled the next best total.
– Penalties had been a problem all season, but the Iron Bowl was a relatively clean second straight game. The victories over Kentucky and Auburn saw the Tide scoring four times each for 30 yards each time. Alabama averaged eight flags per game in the first six outings.
–Saban got more information about the game’s second touchdown in Alabama in his post-game segment he does with Chris Stewart on the Nick Saban TV show.
– Bless the safety of the Alabama Jordan Battle for taking on Auburn’s 300-pound tight winger JJ Pegues in space on a third try. “I don’t think I’ve ever tackled a tight 300-pound end,” Alabama LB Christian Harris said earlier in the week, “but Auburn uses all players very well in their offense.” If I were Auburn he would get the ball a lot.
–Alabama rookie Malachi Moore picked up interception glory before half-time, but chasing Auburn speedster Anthony Schwartz from behind earlier in the quarter could have been a more impressive sporting feat. Saban later said Moore and the other young DBs had benefited greatly from playing on exotic teams early in the season like Ole Miss. “They saw everything you could see from a training and fit perspective,” Saban said. “But I think they learned a lot from it, and I think Malachi is the kind of guy who could make a mistake, but when he learns – he’s smart – he succeeds next time.
– Other DBs made impressive tackles in free field for the loss, notably Patrick Surtain and Daniel Wright. The tackle has improved greatly from Oxford so far for a defense that just can’t stand the kind of heat it had in early October.
–One of Jones’ best throws of the day was Jahleel Billingsley’s 24-yard throw. Watch it below, he used Smith as a lure with a slight fake pump as the tight sophomore end crossed the field. The window was tight for the QB and he put in the perfect touch for his third of five TD assists. Gary Danielson on CBS also highlighted Jones’ ability to step into the pocket while still feeling the pressure outside and never taking his eyes off downstream reception options.
– Alabama’s offensive plan at the end of the first half was particularly conservative. Up 21-3, the Tide made four straight runs to replace running back Brian Robinson. The second went for 15 yards, but Auburn packed the box for two short carries and an incomplete third pass. I had the feeling that a Sarkissian moment would go for the throat but part of me wondered if they wanted to give the defense a break after spending 18:54 of the 30 minutes of the first half on the pitch.
– It was a difficult afternoon for Tuscaloosa product Seth Williams. The Auburn wide receiver had just three catches for 17 yards – easily a season low after catching three balls for 66 yards in last year’s Iron Bowl. The fall at the end of the first half will be the most haunting after turning Tide’s safety Daniel Wright around and finding himself as open as a catcher. “We made a few mistakes in high school that could have been costly,” Saban said. “The guy drops the ball when he’s 20 yards from everyone in the second quarter which is a bust in defense.”
– Mac Jones was a combined 0-for-4 on the opening possessions in the first and second half and 18-for-22 on the other records. The Tide looked listless coming out of halftime, but got back into shape with touchdowns over the next three possessions. DeVonta Smith was shaking his head as he crossed the goal line on the 58-yard incline as he came up the field to make it 28-6.
– Alabama kicker Will Reichard hasn’t had a basket attempt in the last two games and remains 8-for-8. He is one of the country’s seven kickers not to be missed. The Hoover graduate is also 52 for 52 on extra points. Only BYU threw more (55) in one more game than Alabama.
– Reviewing Najee Harris’ 39-yard touchdown run, Auburn safety Jamien Sherwood got out of one of his shoes to try to chase him. Harris was left intact for his only touchdown of the day.
– Alabama kicker Will Reichard hasn’t had a field goal in the last two games and remains 8-for-8. He is one of the country’s seven kickers not to be missed. The Hoover graduate is also 52-for-52 on extra points. Only BYU threw more (55) in one more game than Alabama.
– The last TD at Metchie was a thing of beauty. There’s something about that corner of that end zone that suits Metchie as he scored his sixth touchdown of the season. He will have to be a factor along the entire length to keep opposing defenses honest.
–CBS cameras didn’t capture it, but the Alabama sideline went bananas after the two interceptions by real freshmen Moore and Brian Branch. There was no lack of emotion on Saturday.
– The only black mark on the defensive performance was ending the streak without a touchdown at 12 quarters. Auburn’s 347 yards were the weakest since a Week 2 loss to Georgia when they had only managed 216. The 347 yards were actually the most allowed for Alabama in five games as Georgia had 414 in a 41-24 Tide win.
Congratulations if you’ve made it to the end. See you next Sunday.
Rollback from the previous Sunday:
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