Alabama self-destructs in Iron Bowl shootout loss to Auburn

Alabama made several self-inflicted mistakes in the Iron Bowl to lose to Auburn and end their College Football Playoff hopes.

93 points were scored in the Iron Bowl but it was the three points that didn’t happen at the end of the game that gave Auburn the win. Alabama lined up for a game-tying field goal from 30 yards out but it hit the upright. Alabama had a chance to get the ball back after using their last timeouts but a penalty on 4th and 4 gave Auburn a first down to run the clock.

The 48-45 marks the second-highest-scoring Iron Bowl in history.

It was a perfect storm of self-destruction by Alabama who lost the game more than Auburn won it, but credit the Tigers for making the plays in their stadium to get the win.

Alabama quarterback Mac Jones threw a pair of pick-sixes, including a 100-yard return by Zakoby McClain through the third quarter to give Auburn a 37-31 lead,

Jones had four touchdowns, including three to Jaylen Waddle who also had a kickoff return for a touchdown. It was going to be the Jaylen Waddle game if Alabama won. Instead, he’s a footnote in the history of the Iron Bowl.

The rivalry has given college football fans plenty of memorable moments throughout history, but the missed extra point is the latest.

Alabama’s kicking game has long been an issue so having it rear its ugly head again is no surprise. It’s been a glaring weakness for years.

The glaring weakness for Alabama this year, however, was the defense. It’s been an uncharacteristic poor defense from Nick Saban this year. Injuries and youth were a big reason for that all year. It came back to cost them vs. LSU and it killed them vs. Auburn.

13 penalties for 96 yards is going to keep Saban up all night. Two of the penalties were on 4th down, including the final drive that denied Alabama a shot of a game-tying or game-winning drive.

If Tua Tagovailoa was playing in this game, Alabama probably wins by 14 and they don’t need to sweat a field goal in a clutch situation. They would have enough offense so the defense would have a little bit of a cushion to mask their inefficiencies.

That’s the recipe LSU has used to win the SEC West.

Auburn made four field goals and made the defensive stops and turned them into points to make up for a less-than-explosive passing game. That’s the recipe Alabama used to run to win national titles.  Excuses won’t go very far for Alabama. No one is going to feel sorry for them having to overcome adversity.

As much as Auburn should be commended and Gus Malzahn should be praised for beating the rival, it was Alabama who beat Alabama just as much as Auburn beating Alabama.

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