BY BRANDON HUGHES
FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — Auburn’s season ended Saturday night the way too many of its games have this season: agonizing and one possession short.
No team with a losing record has won the Iron Bowl since 2001, so Auburn (5-7, 1-7) entered the 89th edition of the rivalry with the odds stacked against it. However, the teams have split the last six matchups played at Jordan-Hare Stadium, each scoring the exact same number of points (167). Throw in the fact that five of the last seven Iron Bowls played at Auburn have been decided by seven points or less, and the expectation was that this would be a close game.
For the first 18:30 of the game, though, it looked like anything but. Alabama (10-2, 7-1) was on the verge of running away with the game, as it marched out to a commanding 17-0 lead. The Crimson Tide had outgained the Tigers 159 total yards to 23, 100 rushing yards to 11, and nine first downs to one. The game was on the verge.
But Auburn’s defense found its footing, dug in and did what it had done all season long when the offense had sputtered.
It kept the Tigers within striking distance. The offense would eventually get untracked in the second half, tying the game at 20 before allowing a late touchdown, falling 27-20.
After the game, Auburn interim head coach DJ Durkin spoke about the disappointing outcome.
“I feel like our guys prepared really well for this game,” Durkin said. “We had a chance to win the game, but you can’t turn the ball over in games like this and expect to win…You look at the stats and see we outgained them 411 yards to 280 yards and held them at 112 yards passing. If you said to me going into the game that is what was going to happen, I’d tell you that we won the game. But again, turnovers are the most telling stat that pertain to wins and losses.”
Ashton Daniels was back as the starting quarterback, but, whether due to rust from two weeks off or something else, he looked nothing like the quarterback who had torched Vanderbilt for 442 yards in his last outing, as he went six-for-18 for 30 yards in the opening half.
“I think just getting in the flow, just getting comfortable with what’s going on and all of that starts with me at the quarterback position,” Daniels said when asked about the slow start on offense. “I take all the blame for coming out slow, but I’m very proud of this offense and how we continue to fight.”
After managing only two field goals in a six-point first half, Daniels found his rhythm after halftime. He threw for 219 yards on 12-of-21 passing, highlighted by a 64-yard strike to Malcolm Simmons less than a minute into the third quarter. Big-play touchdowns are nothing new for Simmons; all five of his career receiving scores have covered 40 yards or more. He nearly added another when he took a pass 66 yards to the Alabama four, setting up the game-tying touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
With the game tied at 20 and the crowd at a fever pitch, Alabama responded with a near-eight-minute, 15-play, 75-yard drive — aided by two critical and controversial drive-extending flags — to take the lead for good with 3:50 left to play in the game.
The Tigers were making a bid to tie the game in the waning seconds when receiver Cam Coleman fumbled at the Alabama 20-yard line as he fought for yardage. Alabama recovered the ball, effectively ending the game.
The Iron Bowl showed, once more, what this roster already is: tough, resilient and good enough to line up with anyone. It also showed, once more, why they went 5–7: turnovers, penalties and an offense that only seems to find itself after it’s out of margin for error.
If new coach Alex Golesh can bring even a fraction of the explosiveness he’s unleashed at his last three stops, Auburn won’t be talking about “almost” much longer.
By the Numbers:
• Malcolm Simmons’ 143 receiving yards were the second most by an Auburn player in an Iron Bowl behind Sammie Coates’ 206 yards in 2014.
• Auburn lost seven SEC games this season by a total of 50 points. Six were decided by a single touchdown, the other one by 10.
• Auburn has played 14 games decided by 10 points or less in the last two seasons. The Tigers are 2-12 in those games.
