Here are some quick thoughts on No. 2 Alabama’s 29-13 victory over Auburn in the Iron Bowl Saturday on the Plains.

What it means: With the win, Alabama clinched the SEC West and will face the No. 12 Gators next week in Atlanta.

What I liked:

  • Auburn’s run game showed serious improvement in Week 13. The team combined to get 37 carries for 91 yards. And RB Jovon Robinson had a big game with 13 carries for 51 yards.
  • Even though the Alabama struggled inside the 20, Tide RB Derrick Henry was again a workhorse with 47 carries for 273 yards and 1 TD, extending his Heisman run.
  • The field goal units for both teams were consistent and almost perfect. Tide PK Adam Griffith was 5 for 5 with a long of 50 yards, and Tigers PK Daniel Carlson was 2 for 3 with a long of 44 yards.
  • Emotions run high during rivalry week, and we’ve already seen a lot of fights and classless acts around the SEC, but Alabama and Auburn kept the 2015 Iron Bowl pretty clean, succumbing to just a few chippy scuffles here and there, excluding a few probably unintentional late hits.

What I didn’t like:

  • Tigers defensive coordinator Muschamp lost all self-control in this game, setting a poor example for his players. In the fourth quarter, his team was penalized 15 yards because of some selective words he conspicuously directed toward the officials. Just plays later, he was given another warning after the coaching staff had to pull him off the field and away from the next official in his line of fire.
  • Alabama has the No. 30 scoring offense in the country, and it has scored 49 touchdowns in 11 games, averaging almost 35 points per game, but tonight, Alabama some serious problems. Tide QB Jake Coker seems to have reverted to the passing efficiency days of old, going just underthrowing, overthrowing and just plain missing his targets too many times. Though he did show some prowess on the ground, rushing for just 13 yards, but he got them when it counted.
  • Both Alabama and Auburn struggled with clock management. In the first half alone, the Tigers garnered two delay of game penalties and the Tide had to scramble to get a timeout called before the play clock ran out. Both teams had a number of snaps taken just in time.
  • Both teams struggled in the red zone tonight. Alabama took two trips and came away with two field goals. Auburn got into the red zone just once, and it came away with a single field goal.
  • Third down conversions were an anomaly tonight. Alabama converted 5 of 16, and Auburn converted 3 of 14.

Who’s the man: Tide WR ArDarius Stewart didn’t lead the team tonight with just 7 catches and 1 carry for 82 total yards, but he was the go-to guy when Alabama needed to get something done, and his touchdown was the difference maker in this game.

Key play: With 5:14 minutes left in the third quarter, Coker scrambled to avoid tackles for loss by two Tigers defenders to throw a 34-yard pass to Tide WR ArDarius Stewart for the first touchdown of the game.

What’s next: Alabama travels to the Georgia Dome next Saturday to take on No. 12 Florida for the SEC Championship, and Auburn will most likely be headed to the Birmingham Bowl game on Dec. 30.