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Quick thoughts on Alabama’s thrilling 55-44 comeback win over Auburn.
What it means: Alabama is the scariest team in the country. How many other teams can turn the ball over three times and still rack up 55 points and 541 yards? The defense was less-than-stellar all night, a bad sign going into the SEC Championship game and potentially the College Football Playoff, but the Crimson Tide showed that their offense is nothing to trifle with and has all the artillery needed to battle the other national contenders.
What I liked: Blake Sims’ mental toughness. After throwing two first half interceptions and another on Alabama’s first drive of the third quarter, nearly equaling his season total coming into the game, Sims locked in and led the Crimson Tide on a dominating comeback. After his third pick of the game, Sims went 10-for-12 for 175 yards and 3 TD, running for 30 yards and another score. Sims played the role of senior leader and helped the Tide keep their poise despite falling behind by 12 points early in the second half.
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What I didn’t like: The secondary’s performance. Both Sammie Coates and D’haquille Williams had huge games for Auburn, with Williams going for more than 100 yards and Coates more than 200. Eddie Jackson got picked on throughout the game, getting burned by Coates on his two long touchdowns, and was eventually benched. Nick Marshall went for a career-high 456 yards and threw 3 TDs. The defense as a whole was shredded by Auburn’s up-tempo attack, with the Tigers piling up 630 total yards. That’s trouble going forward, especially looking at the teams that Alabama could potentially be in the CFP with.
Key play: Nick Perry’s third quarter interception. Alabama pulled within 36-34 after two Amari Cooper touchdowns sandwiched around an Auburn field goal. If the flood gates weren’t already open before Perry intercepted a Marshall pass thrown into traffic, they sure were. Including Cooper’s touchdown on the drive before Marshall threw the interception, Alabama ran off 28 unanswered points and finished the game on a 35-10 roll.
Who’s the man: Amari Cooper. The Tide’s star receiver was absolutely unstoppable. He got himself wide open on two of his touchdown receptions after roasting Auburn defenders and made two defensive backs look silly on his first score of the night. Thanks to Cooper’s big-play ability, Alabama was able to dig out of a two-score hole in a flash and sprint into the lead. Cooper finished with 13 catches for 224 yards and 3 TD, setting the Iron Bowl single-game receiving record. When the broadcast is comparing you to LeBron James, you’re doing alright for yourself.
What’s next: Alabama moves onto the Georgia Dome next week to take on No. 17 Missouri (10-2, 7-1) in the SEC Championship game. Mizzou is coming off a dramatic 21-14 comeback win over Arkansas on Friday. The Tigers made an improbable run to the East title, and shouldn’t be counted out despite the game looking like a mismatch on paper.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.