As far as highly anticipated games go, this one ranked up there with the Florida rematch in the 2009 SEC Championship.
Even though Alabama had secured the West division after Ole Miss beat State that afternoon, after the horrifying "kick-six" in last year's Iron Bowl, Tide fans surely wanted to win this game really badly.
And what a crappy first half for the Tide. I was worried whether the defense would hold up because they were on the field so long. The major difference in the game was Alabama's red-zone defense. They held Auburn to four field goals with good defense and a smidge of luck thrown in.
Blake Sims threw three atrocious interceptions in the middle of the game, which led the coaching staff to get Jacob Coker ready just in case he right the QB ship. Sims did, and the Tide defense played much better in the second half.
Amari Cooper had a record-setting game: 13 receptions for 224 yards and 3 TDs, an Iron Bowl record for yards received. T.J. Yeldon garnered 127 yards on 19 carries and 2 touchdowns. Derrick Henry had some great runs later in the game and gained 72 yards on five carries and had a touchdown.
Senior Nick Perry had a key interception in the second half. After Eddie Jackson got torched repeatedly, which was a surprise, senior Bradley Sylve came in and played well. I expected freshman speedster Tony Brown to replace Jackson, so it was satisfying to see him step up, especially because Sylve didn't play well in a number of games last season.
So up next is the SEC Championship against Mizzou, a team that finds a way to win games.
2 comments:
Watching the game I was impressed/scared of the offense. But I also thought the defense looked vulnerable. Makes me think that Mizzou has a decent chance (20-25%) on Saturday. If good Mauk shows up then it will be a helluva game.
The strange deal is that the D has played pretty darn well all season. The DBs got roasted by the Barn's two big receivers. Jackson had a horrible game, and Geno Smith and few others got beat on shorter routes.
Besides the garbage-time TD by Auburn at the end, the defense played really well in the second half.
My main concern is Mizzou's DLine. They're really good.
But Mizzou getting destroyed by UGA and losing to the Indiana Hoosiers is puzzling. Indiana has a great RB, but I doubt they have that good of defense.
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