Alabama dominates Auburn

By Ken Rogers

Published: November 29, 2008

TUSCALOOSA — Alabama had it scripted right down to the lighting concept that glimmered through a misty, foggy night.

The fourth quarter of the Iron Bowl was an exorcism. Six years of frustration, layers of losing, melted away as top-ranked and undefeated Alabama closed out a convincing 36-0 victory over Auburn.

After most of the 92,318 sang Rammer Jammer, players lingered a bit, communing with their fans. Nick Saban took a victory lap to thank the fans.

There was no drama at the end. Auburn fumbled the ball away twice in the first 3:05 of the second half. Alabama turned both into touchdowns, turning a 10-0 halftime lead into a 22-0 advantage midway through the third. Ballgame.

“It’s just about the highlight of my career,” senior center Antoine Caldwell said. “We prepared so hard this week, to finally get it done is an amazing, amazing feeling.”

Senior safety Rashad Johnson, whose unit recorded Alabama’s first shutout of Auburn since 1992 — another memorable year in Alabama history — said he didn’t know how to describe what he was feeling.

“My emotions are through the roof,” Johnson said. “It means a lot to earn the shutout. We were just trying to get better every week. We practiced hard and were able to finish the game.”

Alabama got perhaps its most special win of the year the same way it got the first 11. The Crimson Tide controlled the line of scrimmage on offense. Alabama finished with 234 yards on the ground.

Running back Glen Coffee rushed for 144 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown. Freshman running back Mark Ingram got 15 carries for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Auburn had given up just four rushing touchdowns all season before the Tide rushed for three on Saturday.

“These guys have dominated us for so long. I really felt like this time was our time this year,” Caldwell said. “We kind of knew coming into this game we could dominate Auburn this year. For us to be able to do it was great.”

Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban saluted his seniors for their contribution.

“When I came here, change was probably inevitable, but the growth that everybody has had was optional,” Saban said. “Everybody had to buy into it. I just want to say that the seniors that we have on this team were the key to changing the culture starting after the bowl game last year through the offseason, and now week to week in the season providing leadership and setting a tremendous example.

“I want everyone to know that they should always be recognized as the group that had a tremendous amount to do with changing the culture here. We are proud of our team, our players, and our coaching staff who have done a phenomenal job throughout the season, and we have one more challenge left against a great opponent.”

That will be Florida in the SEC Championship Game, which is effectively a national semifinal game. The winner of Saturday’s game in Atlanta will play for a national championship in Miami.

Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, whose Tigers finished 5-7, said the Tigers made too many mistakes to pull an upset.

“All streaks must come to an end, and our streak came to a halt tonight,” Tuberville said of the Tigers’ six-game winning streak in this series. “We ran into a good football team. We needed them to make mistakes and they didn’t and we needed not to make mistakes and we did.

“But that’s what good football teams make you do is make you make mistakes. They’re very aggressive on defense and offense. They forced our hand, forced us to execute, forced our quarterback to throw the ball down the field.”

The game was sealed by the sequence early in the third quarter. Auburn forced the Tide to punt. But two plays into its first possession, Brad Lester mishandled an exchange as Kareem Jackson crashed hard from the defense’s right side. Tide linebacker Rolando McClain recovered on the Auburn 39.

On first down, Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson threw a sideline-and-up route to Nikita Stover. It was Wilson’s first touchdown pass since the Ole Miss game on Oct. 11. Leigh Tiffin’s extra point was blocked by Mike McNeil, but Alabama led 16-0.

Three Auburn plays later, Burns fumbled the exchange with center Jason Bosley. Terrence Cody recovered at the Auburn 45.

Wilson completed a screen pass for 27 yards to Ingram and a 15-yard strike to Julio Jones to move the Tide to the 3-yard line. Two plays later, Ingram pounded into the middle and scored from the 1, building the lead to 22-0.

“We started grinding on them a little bit. We saw them getting tired a little bit. They got wore down,” Caldwell said. “That’s when as an offensive lineman, that makes us go into that killer instinct mode.”

Coffee said he felt the game was under control well before that. Leigh Tiffin started the scoring with a 37-yard field goal midway through the first quarter. Coffee’s 41-yard touchdown run at right end gave Alabama a 10-0 lead with 10:28 left in the first half.

Saban said the play was as well-blocked as any he’d seen. Coffee agreed.

“When I hit the corner, there wasn’t anybody there,” he said. “The line of scrimmage was easy to read. They cut everybody off, and it was an easy run.”
Alabama added a 14-yard touchdown run by Ingram later in the third quarter.

Backup quarterback Greg McElroy launched a 34-yard strike to freshman Marquis Maze for an exclamation point with 2:49 left in the game.

First quarter
0:00 Alabama 3, Auburn 0: Leigh Tiffin 37-yard field goal. 15 plays, 76 yards, 7:36. Key play: Quarterback John Parker Wilson completed a 17-yard pass across the middle to Darius Hanks on second-and-14 that put the ball on Auburn’s 39-yard line.

Second quarter
10:28 Alabama 10, Auburn 0: Glen Coffee 41-yard run (Tiffin PAT). 4 plays, 65 yards, 1:38. Key play: Wilson found freshman Julio Jones for 15 yards on the right sidelines on third-and-11 from the Alabama 44.

Third quarter
13:15 Alabama 16, Auburn 10: Nikita Stover 39-yard pass from Wilson (PAT blocked). 1 play, 39 yards, 0:12. Key play: The touchdown was set up by Auburn’s first turnover of the game. Brad Lester fumbled as Alabama’s Kareem Jackson crashed hard from the defense’s right side. Rolando McClain recovered at the 39. 

7:35 Alabama 22, Auburn 0: Mark Ingram 1-yard run (2-point pass failed). 8 plays, 45 yards, 4:20. Key play: Facing third-and-14 from near midfield, Ingram caught a screen pass and picked up 27 yards, getting a nice block from Mike McCoy downfield. 

2:10 Alabama 29, Auburn 0: Ingram 14-yard run (Tiffin PAT). 8 plays, 50 yards, 3:38. Key play: On fourth-and-1 with everyone knowing Coffee would get the carry, he still burst off right guard for seven yards and a first down at the Auburn 34.

Fourth quarter
2:49 Alabama 36, Auburn 0: Marquis Maze 34-yard pass from Greg McElroy (Tiffin PAT). 5 plays, 53 yards, 2:51. Key play: The touchdown, when Maze beat Neiko Thorpe by a step and McElroy delivered a pass that hit him in stride.