Notebook: Milroe Magic Snatches Improbable Iron Bowl Victory

AUBURN, Ala.— Sometimes, you'd rather be lucky than good. To convert a 4th down with 31 yards to go and no chains to advance, it takes a lot of luck. In a place where the scales of the weird and the wild have sometimes tipped toward the home team, No. 8 Alabama (11-1, 8-0 SEC) converted a 4th down with 31 yards to go— in a goal-to-go situation with the season on the line. Quarterback Jalen Milroe found Isaiah Bond for the game-winning touchdown. Rather than closing the regular season with an upset over its rival that would've ended the Crimson Tide's College Football Playoff hopes, Auburn (6-6, 3-5 SEC) suffered a second straight Iron Bowl comeback defeat within its own confines.

Poise, Trust Forge Big-Time Connection Between Milroe and Bond

Regardless of whether the season is on the line, it takes an incredible amount of confidence on the part of a quarterback to launch a do-or-die pass like Milroe did in the direction of Bond. If he dropped it, the game was as good as over. If he stepped out, the game was over. Milroe, though, never doubted the ability of one of his top targets to come down with the pass that will be replayed among the many improbable moments in the storied history of the Iron Bowl.

"It's all about trust," said Milroe, clearly still exhilarated after the moment he had just helped orchestrate. "With that play, it's just all about trust."

Bond has previous touchdown receptions in games against Middle Tennessee, Texas A&M and Tennessee. A burgeoning playmaker, he likely never could have imagined being in a situation like the one presented Saturday until it happened. He and his quarterback have developed confidence during the season, and with that comes the poise that it takes to confidently maintain the chemistry they have. That connection came up absolutely huge against the Tigers.

Milroe's Other Big Target Makes an Impact

The leader in receiving yards for Alabama in the Iron Bowl was not Bond. Rather, it was Jermaine Burton. The most sizable portion of his 107 yards came on a 68-yard strike from Milroe in the second quarter, less than one minute after Auburn took a 14-10 lead. The Georgia transfer has broken out in 2023: with 749 yards and seven touchdowns, he leads the team in both of those categories. It goes without saying that if he hadn't managed to get open downfield, as he so often does, the outcome might have been different. A big part of Milroe's continued growth, which Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban said has "transformed our team," is cultivating the connections with his receivers. Burton has played no small part in that aspect of the Alabama signal caller's development.

Special Teams Imperfect in Jordan-Hare... Again

One of the least common occurrences in an Alabama game this season? A Will Reichard miss. Yet, like so many Crimson Tide kickers before him, he was wide on a field goal attempt in Jordan-Hare Stadium. A 42-yard attempt which would have given his team a 23-21 lead with 3:33 in the third quarter went to the right. That kick also would have given Reichard sole possession of the all-time NCAA career scoring record. Instead, he sits tied at 530 points with former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds. The extra point he connected on after Milroe's miraculous touchdown heave to Bond leveled him with the top spot. The placekicker had only missed two in the entire regular season before the third came against the Tigers. Also of note, punter James Burnip, one of the most consistent players on the team, shanked his first boot for only 18 yards.

Run Defense Spotty, Falters on Scoring Drives

The Auburn offense only put up 10 points last week while being drubbed by New Mexico State on home turf. Needing a fix come rivalry week, the Tigers turned to the run game, to great effect. As a team, the underdogs put up 244 rushing yards, led by tailback Jarquez Hunter's 93. However, the story of Auburn's running game is best told in the way it impacted scoring drives. On the Tigers' third drive, while starting quarterback Payton Thorne failed to get into rhythm, Hunter ran for 53 total yards and fellow running back Damari Alston eventually punched it in. In the second quarter, a 56-yard rush by Alston set up a Ja'Varrius Johnson score on the ground. On the fourth-quarter drive where Auburn stretched its lead to 24-20 with a field goal, Thorne added a 22-yard run of his own to move the sticks. The magnitude of these chunk plays took some of the pressure off Thorne, while also keeping the Crimson Tide defense on its heels, and the success the Tigers had almost paid dividends with a major upset.

Momentum Intact For SEC Title Game

The Alabama that the college football world will see on Dec. 2 against top-ranked and unbeaten Georgia is not the listless version that might have entered Atlanta coming off an Iron Bowl loss. Had Auburn won on Saturday, the Crimson Tide's playoff hopes would have died on the Plains. The only time apart from 2022 that Alabama has ever missed a playoff was in 2019, when it lost in Auburn. Georgia is also no slouch. There's a reason Kirby Smart's team hasn't lost since the 2021 SEC title game, when the Bryce Young-led Crimson Tide halted its unbeaten run one week after coming from behind to win the Iron Bowl. Playing for its Playoff life, Alabama will have a lot more to give without having to reel from being stunned by a rival that one week ago lost badly to a mid-major (albeit a very good one).

Injury Report

There were no major Crimson Tide injuries in Saturday's game, meaning that Alabama will take to Atlanta after the Iron Bowl with a roster that's in good shape. Linebacker Deontae Lawson and defensive back Jaylen Key returned to the field after being banged up.

Tidebits

Game captains for Alabama were Dallas Turner, Tyler Booker and Jase McClellan... The SEC officiating crew was led by referee Jason Autrey.