Grading Alabama football in win over Auburn in Iron Bowl
AUBURN − Alabama football seems to never test well at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Win or loss, the Crimson Tide is going to always make it interesting on the road against Auburn.
This year's Iron Bowl was no different.
Alabama will want to frame this one, though. Despite all the stumbles and hope looking lost, the Crimson Tide remained resilient and beat the Auburn Tigers 27-24 on Saturday.
Here are grades for No. 8 Alabama (11-1, 8-0 SEC) in the win over Auburn (6-6, 3-5).
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Offense: B+
The offense jumped out to yet another strong start with a touchdown on the first drive. Then it got in its own way at times with two touchdowns called back because of penalties. Alabama also had trouble finishing drives at times. The group made plays, but more often than not, it couldn't reach the end zone and stalled — that is until late. Jalen Milroe found a way to hit Isaiah Bond on fourth-and-31 to take the lead in the final minute for the win.
Defense: C-
Alabama could not stop the run vs. Auburn much of the time, especially in the first half. Then the passing offense came alive in the second half some as Alabama had issues in coverage. Auburn's offense should not have had as much success as it did dominating on the ground. But Alabama did enough in the end defensively to get the win.
Special teams: B+
Will Reichard had a missed kick in the third quarter that didn't help this grade. James Burnip had a punt that went short in the first half. Caleb Downs didn't make any major mistakes in returning punts. But then Jihaad Campbell gave Alabama some life late in the game when he recovered a muffed punt in the fourth quarter.
Coaching: B
Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees called a brilliant play on fourth-and-short with the sweep to Kendrick Law. It resulted in a touchdown but was called back. Still, Rees deserves props for the play call. The offensive play-calling was solid overall. Execution seemed to be where the offense fell short. Defensively, Kevin Steele's group struggled to adjust to Auburn's offense at times, particularly the creative ways the Tigers ran the football.
Overall: B
Overall, not a stellar day from Alabama, which should not be a surprise considering the venue. But the Crimson Tide managed to win. That deserves a solid grade, despite all of the bumps along the way.
Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men's basketball for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Grading Alabama football in win over Auburn in Iron Bowl
