Tide Stays Unbeaten, Rolls To Lopsided 42-13 Iron Bowl Win

TUSCALOOSA, AL. — The undefeated Crimson Tide's high-octane offense cruised to a 42-13 blowout victory over the No. 22 Auburn Tigers in the 85th Iron Bowl Saturday night in Bryant-Denny Stadium, despite head coach Nick Saban not roaming the sidelines for the first time since 2007.

"I think the energy was good, the offense made a lot of explosive plays out there," Saban said in a post-game video press conference as the team moved to 8-0. "The defense really played well and it's just a great team win. I can't really explain it. It's an unusual circumstance for me to be in, to be watching from afar, to see our team play from afar ... they were excited after the game, were very happy they could go out there and do a great job in this game."

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Saturday's win extends No. 1 Alabama's series lead to 10 games at 47–37–1 since the first Iron Bowl in 1893. The victory also puts Saban teams at 5-3 when matched up against Gus Malzahn's Tigers and was the seventh-consecutive game where the Tide scored more than 40 points.

TALE OF THE TAPE

The Tide struck first in the 2020 contest, setting the tone for the rest of the game with a 66-yard touchdown pass from redshirt junior quarterback Mac Jones to DeVonta Smith with 5:10 left to go in the first quarter. Smith's dominating performance saw the senior finish the night with seven catches for 171 yards and two scores, while sophomore receiver John Metchie III also got in on the action through the air, snagging two scores and 66 yards.

Jones, a Heisman Trophy frontrunner, also logged a memorable performance, going 18-for-26 through the air for five touchdown passes and 302 yards. He was accompanied by a strong performance on the ground from senior running back Najee Harris, who carried the ball 11 times for 96 yards and a touchdown.

The Crimson Tide finished with 444 yards of total offense, compared to the Tigers' 329, with Auburn's only touchdown coming late in the fourth quarter by way of a one-yard touchdown run by quarterback Bo Nix.

Saban also had high praise for his coaches, namely offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who assumed on-field coaching duties after it was confirmed that Saban tested positive for the novel coronavirus earlier this week.

"I think our coaching staff did a marvelous job today," Saban said. "They played the situations, we had a good plan, they stayed with the plan, they executed the plan. Sark did a nice job of managing things."

On the defensive side of the football, Saban said the entire unit showed improvement and gelled during the rivalry game.

"We're using more players now, which enhances everybody's opportunities to have a role and be able to go out there and contribute," he said.

He did mention some defensive breakdowns, including a sure touchdown dropped by Auburn receiver Seth Williams that highlighted an isolated failure in coverage.

Despite the scattered points of criticism by the head coach, the Tide did see some noteworthy performances in the secondary from freshmen defensive backs Malachi Moore and Brian Branch, who both intercepted Nix. The Auburn signal caller finished 23-for-38 for 227 yards and one rushing touchdown, but was kept out of the end zone until the game's final frames.

What's more, Williams — a Tuscaloosa native and highly-touted receiver for the Tigers — was held in check by a young Alabama secondary, reeling in only three catches for 17 yards, while junior Anthony Schwartz led the Tigers with five catches for 60 yards.

It is still uncertain if Saban will be cleared to return to the sidelines for next Saturday's rescheduled game against LSU (3-3) as he follows COVID-19 protocol and Tuscaloosa Patch will have updates throughout the week as they come available.

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