No. 1 Alabama knocks off Auburn in 81st Iron Bowl

On the other hand, Florida once again boasts a strong record, but the Gators could fall victim to another late-season slide. Because it was called in the first half, he’ll be able to play in the Southeastern Conference championship game against No. 13 Florida next week.

Alabama would extend its lead on a four-yard Hurts touchdown scamper on it first possession of the second half. Jacobs had the longest of the game at 26 yards. Alabama has scored 12 touchdowns on either defense or special teams this season. While that hasn’t exactly been a strength for the Tigers – Auburn’s season-high for passing yards is just 278, Al.com noted – the best chance to knock off the Crimson Tide will likely be through the air.

The Tigers’ 1,000-yard rusher carried the ball 12 times for 17 yards and was unable to be the workhorse Auburn has employed all season.

Johnson, who finished just 4 of 13 for 34 yards, was joined by backup John Franklin III, H-back Chandler Cox and tailback Kerryon Johnson as members of the Tigers roster who took the snap from center Saturday.

Cooks 17-yard score in the first quarter was his 45th career rushing touchdown, which broke Greg Allens 32-year-old school mark. Hamilton had Bama’s lone interception which came at the Alabama five with nine minutes to play. Hurts and offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin worked the offensive gameplan like a backyard Thanksgiving game, scattering bubble screens and rollouts and shovel passes and delayed draws and deep outs all across the field. Overall, he was a crisp 9-for-11 in the second half following an indecisive start.

On the offense, Alabama football averages 225.2 yards in passing and 252.5 yards in rushing.

Freshman Martell Pettaway burned his redshirt and ran for 181 yards in his debut for West Virginia, which outscored Iowa State, 28-3, in the second half.

TOUGH DEFENSES: The two best defenses in the league will take on offenses that have been less consistent.

On J.K. Scott’s first punt of the night, Auburn returner Stephen Roberts (who?) caught the ball in traffic at a full gallop and sprinted down the sideline for 58 yards before our lovable giraffe of a punter showed his versatility and forced the return man out of bounds. For Alabama, it scored 13 points in spite of Hurts’ two picks to cornerback Daniel Thomas, along with three fumbles, all fortunately recovered by the Crimson Tide offense.

If Alabama struggles to score on these teams, it can rest easy knowing its own defense can keep it in the game, even if it doesn’t put up a ton of points.

Defense has been a staple for these teams, which will make December 3 quite the struggle for both offenses.

Tyler Davis added a second-quarter field goal for Penn State.

Searcy’s 6-yard touchdown off a busted play capped a fourth-quarter comeback for the Yellow Jackets (8-4). On second-and-11, Hurts found ArDarius Stewart on a crossing route to the tune of 39 yards.

The Tigers came back with a – you guessed it – field goal attempt, but it was Carlson’s lone miss. At the end of the day, it’s just a game, so it’s not really that big of a deal.

After just two series in the second half, the Tide had p;ushed its lead to 27-9.

“We had some really, really challenging field position situations in this game, and our players responded really well to it”, Alabama coach Nick Saban said.