Alabama Beats Auburn in Iron Bowl Thriller - The New York Times

Alabama is poised to move up a spot in the College Football Playoff rankings ahead of their Southeastern Conference title game against the Bulldogs.

They held the Alabama offense to just 68 yards in the first half.

With 1:35 left in the fourth quarter, Young led the Crimson Tide on a 97-yard scoring drive, capped by a 28-yard touchdown throw to receiver Ja’Corey Brooks, giving Alabama its first touchdown of the day and tying the game at 10.

After the game, Metchie III, who caught a 22-yard pass on the scoring drive told reporters that the players said little in the huddle beforehand.

The Crimson Tide, the nation’s second-highest scoring offense, were held scoreless through three quarters in regulation.

Alabama’s first points of the game came in the fourth quarter, with 8:44 left, after defensive back Josh Jobe intercepted a high pass by Finley, giving the ball to the Alabama offense.

He had lost his best weapon in the first half, when Jameson Williams, the Alabama receiver who leads the team in receiving yards (1,218) and touchdowns (13), was ejected for targeting with nine minutes left in the second quarter.

Williams’s ejection, one of many uncharacteristic Crimson Tide penalties (11 total), gave Auburn the ball at the Crimson Tide 39-yard line and led to the Tigers’ first score of the game: a 15-yard touchdown catch by receiver Kobe Hudson.

And in their leading receiver’s absence, the Crimson Tide leaned on Metchie III, a junior who led Alabama’s receivers on Saturday with 13 catches for 150 yards.

Past Iron Bowl games have shown that thrilling plays are almost to be expected when these two teams meet: the infamous Kick-Six game in 2013; running back Kerryon Johnson’s jump pass in 2017; the pair of pick-six plays on former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones in 2019.

Auburn, which entered the game allowing over 360 yards per game, seemed to be making all the right plays as the game neared its end