Peyton Barber respects the Alabama Crimson Tide, but didn’t feel that the Tide were the better team in the Iron Bowl.
Despite losing to arch nemesis Alabama in the 2015 Iron Bowl, 29-13, Auburn Tigers running back Peyton Barber told Al.com’s Brandon Marcello that he doesn’t feel that Alabama was “the better team.”
Auburn hung with Alabama at Jordan-Hare Stadium for most of the Iron Bowl, trailing by a score most of the game. Given the nature of this rivalry, it’s understandable for the Tigers and the Crimson Tide’s contest to go down to the wire.
While Barber admits that Alabama is a strong team, he didn’t feel that the Tide were better on the gridiron Saturday afternoon, saying, “Alabama, don’t get me wrong they’re a great defense, they’re a great team, but I don’t feel like they were the better team.”
That’s a little bold for a team that didn’t win an SEC home game in 2015 and are 2-9 in their last 11 conference games. Auburn, who will play in a bowl game with a 6-6 record, scored their only touchdown of the 2015 Iron Bowl on a 77-yard Jason Smith reception that he tipped to himself a few times before taking it to the house, reminiscent of the Prayer at Jordan-Hare catch Ricardo Lewis made in 2013 to beat Georgia.
At the end of the day, the final score is all that matters and Auburn came up 16 points short of Alabama at home. Though a Derrick Henry rushing touchdown put the close game out of reach late, it’s hard to say that Auburn was the better team on Saturday. They kicked two field goals and scored a touchdown on a miraculous catch by Jason Smith. Barber may have played well, but the Auburn Tigers must now win their bowl game to finish the season over .500 in 2015.