Let's Play

The Auburn-Alabama game is always big. Some are bigger than others. This is one of the bigger than others.

The rain has passed through. It's raw and cold. Showers are possible. The wind is swirling.

Auburn is 11 & 0 and ranked #2 in the BCS standings. UAT is 9 and 2 and ranked #11. The Tigers are a 4-point underdog. Most people are picking Alabama.

What will determine the outcome? Penalitites, turnovers, their defense slowing Cam down, their offense having success against our defense? Big plays? Number #2. Number #90. Discipline with the crowd noise? Definitely. I think big plays one way or the other will be critical. It's likely to be one or more of these things.

Auburn wins the toss and defers.

FIRST QUARTER

Alabama starts at their 29.
The Tide starts moving the ball with 6 and 7 yard gains.
An bad interference call puts the ball on the 10.
Ingram walks in for the TD from the 10. Fairly out; Carter gets blocked.
A picture-perfect drive for Alabama.
That's a methodical 71-yrd. drive in a little over 3 minutes.
Our defense starts slow which seems to be typical this year.
Once again we start the game from behind. We've been behind all year.
This is nothing new, but it better not be the story of the game.

Auburn 0 Alabama 7

The Tigers start at the 25.
Auburn goes 3 and out. On a 3rd and 1 Dyer gets stuffed.
Our offense looks tentative.
The punt goes to the Alabama 19.
I think Fairly is out.
There's a long TD pass to Jones. Very poor pass defense as if we just let him go right down the field. Pitiful, says Stan White. The culprit was safety Michael McNeil.
What a horrible start for the Tigers. Our defense is sleep-walking.
We are down big early.

Auburn 0 Alabama 14

Auburn starts on the AU 37.
Our offense needs to get in gear.
Cam is sacked. Loss of 8. Alabama gets penetration. Good coverage downfield.
Cam is sacked again holding the ball too long.
Incomplete pass and Auburn goes 3 and out again.
So far Alabama is completely dominating.
Alabama starts again on offense on their 39.
This is getting ugly in a hurry.
Alabama's defense is manhandling our offense.
Oh, for a turnover. Oh, for a defensive stop.
If we don't stop them here, this game could be over.
It looks as bad as it's looked all year early.
Cam looks totally tentative.
#90 is back.
As we have all year, we're giving their wideouts too much room.
Alabama is on our 38. We can't stop them.
We stop them on a sack by Fairly but the ref calls unsportsmanlike on Fairly. This is the worst call I've ever seen in my history of watching college football.
The Tide scores again on a pass and we're down 3 touchdowns.
The head referee give the Tide their third score.
This will be the biggest deficit of the year for Auburn.
Domination by UAT but a horrific call leads to the third score.
But UAT has executed still.
Auburn has to get going.
We have no answers for Julio Jones.
Our 24 seniors have to take charge.

Auburn 0 Alabama 21

It must start here with 1:58 to go in the first quarter.
Nick Fairly did NOTHING to deserve that 15-yrd. penalty.
It's now or never.
Auburn starts on the 25.
2 running plays and nothing. The UAt defense is manhandling our offense.
Once again we're 3 downs and out.
Auburn will have to punt again.
Cam is frustrated. Our offensive line is getting whipped. Their defense is well-prepared and is dominating our offense.
End of the quarter with the Tigers punting up big.
Auburn 0 Alabama 21

SECOND QUARTER

Well, it's only the start of the second quarter and already we're in a dire situation. We may already be too far behind. We've done nothing offensive so far. We are actually minus 8 yards offensively.

UAT starts on their 17 helped by a blocking in the back penalty.
The Tide goes to 3 and a long 1 or a short 2.
Ingram runs for the first easily.
I see no hope at this point.
We are down by 21. We can't stop their offense. It's only the second quarter.
It looks like they are going to drive for another score.
Then Ingram fumbles big time and the ball goes all the way to the AU end zone.
That's a safety and Auburn has the ball on our 20.
That's a turnover although we're only on our 20.

We punt it back to the Tide and at least we hold them to a field goal.

Auburn 7 Alabama 24

After a dismal offensive start, what will our offense do now?
Finally our offense gets it going.
There's a 36 yard TD pass to Emory Blake!

Auburn 7 Alabama 24

Alabama drives right down the field to the Auburn 9 when Fairly rips McElroy, who fumbles and Auburn recovers at the 13.
After one first down, we punt on the last play of the half.
It could be worse. At least we got that huge turnover at the end to avoid making the deficit worse.
Auburn 7 Alabama 24

THIRD QUARTER

Auburn receives and it takes less than a minute for the Tigers to score.
There's a 70 yard TD pass to Zachary!

Auburn 14 Alabama 24

Will our defense respond now?
AU kicks off with 14:04 left in the third.
The kickoff goes out of bounds at the 3.
Alabama gets to start on their 40.
Not good.
There's a running play for 5.
Come on defense!
Incomplete pass.
Complete pass just short of the first down by a half-yard.
McElroy sneaks and just makes it.
Come on defense!
Ingram for a short gain.
3rd and 10 at midfield with 11 minutes to go in the third.
Pass deflected by T-Sharvan Bell!
Our defense holds. Alabama punts.
Carr fair catches at the 18.
Whew!

After one first down Auburn has to punt.
Alabama will start at their 24 with 9:05 to go in the third.
Our defense has to stay strong. Our offense can win this game if our D holds.
Come on defense!
McElroy is sacked. Goggans gets him.
Julio picks up 5 on a short pass.
3rd and 6 from the 28.
Incomplete pass but there's a flag. Against Alabama.
3 and out again and Bama has to punt again.
Auburn starts on their 25.
Plenty of time left but our offense has to get going again.

The Tigers drive for the touchdown mixing pass & run but mainly running.
Cam jams it in from the one.
We have a ballgame!

Auburn 21 Alabama 24

Auburn has scored 21 points in a row with a little more than 4 minutes left in the third.

The kickoff goes into the end zone.
Auburn holds the Tide to another 3 and out but Carr fumbles the punt!
We hold them to a FG as the third quarter winds down.

Auburn 21 Alabama 27

Auburn starts at their 32.
From 24 to zip Auburn has cut the lead to 6 as the third quarter comes to a close.
Newton runs for 4.
There's a first down pass to the AU 46.
Short gain for Dyer as the third quarter concludes with AU near midfield.
Auburn 21 Alabama 27

FOURTH QUARTER

(At this point I lost control of this post. Suffice it to say Auburn gets the winning TD with about 11:53 left in the game and wins 28 to 27. On a third and 4 from the UAT 7 Cam rolls right and throws back left to a wide-open Lutzenkirchen for the score. Late in the game, T'Sharvan rips McElroy to the ground and out of the game. This is one of the all-time great wins on this series)