How we graded Auburn football in shocking loss to Alabama in Iron Bowl

AUBURN — Only 31 yards separated Auburn football from its first Iron Bowl win since 2019.

The Tigers lost, though, as Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe hit Isaiah Bond on fourth-and-31 to give the Crimson Tide a 27-24 lead it wouldn't relinquish. Here's how we graded Auburn, which has lost four straight games against Alabama for the first time in about four decades.

Offense: B-

Payton Thorne went into halftime with just two completions. The passing game woke up some in the third and fourth quarters — the Tigers had 73 yards passing in the second half — but it still wasn't great. Running backs Jarquez Hunter and Damari Alston did explode for big performances, as each had at least 85 yards rushing. Ja'Varrius Johnson stuck out, too, with two touchdowns.

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Defense: B+

Auburn's pass rush struggled to get much pressure on Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe. Even when it did, Milroe was slippery and broke the pocket time and time again. But Auburn's defense bowed up for most of the game, holding the Crimson Tide to 20 points before the fateful fourth-and-31.

Jack linebacker Jalen McLeod had a team-high eight tackles, and Marcus Harris got Auburn's only sack of the game.

Special teams: C-

Kicker Alex McPherson made his only attempt — a 21-yarder in the fourth quarter — and made good on all of his PATs. Oscar Chapman once again proved to be one of the conference's best punters, averaging just under 48 yards on his five boots.

Chapman also pinned Alabama on the 1-yard line on one of his punts. Jaylin Simpson was the one to down it.

Those were the positives, but the grade is brought down heavily by Koy Moore's muffed punt in the fourth quarter that cost the Tigers an opportunity to run the clock out.

Coaching: B+

Auburn thrashed Arkansas by 38 points in Week 11, but followed that up by losing to New Mexico State by three touchdowns in Week 12. Freeze hammered the Tigers for their effort against the Aggies and said the team was in a "fog" that it needed to snap out of before the Iron Bowl.

Well, Auburn snapped out of it. The coaching staff deserves some credit for waking the Tigers up.

Overall: B+

Without a miraculous catch, Auburn would've beaten the Crimson Tide. The Tigers, considering the circumstances, played well. A loss is a loss, but not all losses are created equal.

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Grading Auburn football in Iron Bowl loss to Alabama