The No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama, with a 29-13win over the rival Auburn Tigers in the 80th Iron Bowl.Alabama was victorious in the Iron Bowl for the second consecutive season and the fourth time in five years. But more importantly, it improved to 11-1 in 2015 and clinched a spot in the SEC Championship Game against the Florida Gators.A win over Florida would almost certainly place the Tide in the CFP and give them a chance to win their fourth national title under head coach Nick Saban.Alabama's victory also spoiled Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton's return to Jordan-Hare Stadium, as he was on the Auburn sideline for the game. SportsCenter shared a photo:Alabama junior running back Derrick Henry continued to bolster his Heisman Trophy candidacy with 271 yards and one touchdown on 46 carries.He also broke Trent Richardson's record for the most single-season rushing yards in Crimson Tide history, according to ESPN College Football:In addition, Henry surpassed Richardson's single-season rushing-touchdown record with 22 and tied another Alabama mark with his fourth 200-yard game of the season, per ESPN Stats & Info:Saturday's Iron Bowl was a far cry from last year's 99-point outburst, as both offenses struggled to find the end zone for much of the contest.That was especially true in the first half, as the only scoring came courtesy of six field goals, four of which Alabama kicker Adam Griffith converted.The Crimson Tide led 9-6 late in the second quarter when it looked as though quarterback Jake Coker had connected with ArDarius Stewart for a long touchdown, but Stewart dropped the ball when he hit the ground.That forced Alabama to settle for a 50-yard field-goal attempt, and Griffith was true to make it 12-6 entering halftime.Griffith has had an up-and-down career at Alabama, but as Kevin Scarbinsky of AL.com pointed out, the kicker has made major strides as the 2015 season has progressed:Griffith was part of the famous "Kick Six" in the Iron Bowl two years ago as Auburn defensive back Chris Davis returned the kicker's missed 57-yard field-goal attempt 100 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the game.Griffith has come a long way since then, and his improvement was on full display Saturday.Alabama's inability to separate from an Auburn team that entered the game at 6-5 was disconcerting, though, and it led to some criticism from NFL Network's Albert Breer:The Crimson Tide's first-half performance couldn't have made Saban happy, either, as he stressed the importance of becoming a consistent team during the lead-up to Saturday's clash on ESPN (h/t Michael Casagrande of AL.com):I think consistency has always been the issue with our team. Being able to play at a high level on a consistent basis in this day in age, it doesn't matter what you did last week. You're only as good as your last play. You're only as good as your last game. So how you play this week is the most important thing.One area that was consistent during the opening half was the running game, as Henry gained 102 yards on 16 carries. Unfortunately for Alabamafans, however, the offense sputtered when it had opportunities to find paydirt.SportsCenter's Twitter account put the first half into perspective:Even ESPN's Paul Finebaumfound it difficult to muster complimentary words regarding the opening 30 minutes:Alabama finally broke things open a bit with just over five minutes remaining in the third quarter as Coker masterfully avoided a pair of would-be tacklers, rolled out to his right and fired a 34-yard scoring strike to Stewart, who atoned for his previous drop, per CBS Sports:That helped put the Crimson Tide up 19-6 and shifted the pressure firmly onto the shoulders of quarterback Jeremy Johnson and the Auburn offense.It didn't take them long to answer, as Johnson threw a 77-yard touchdown to wide receiver Jason Smith on a 3rd-and-12 on the ensuing drive that saw Smith tip the ball to himself and race past the Alabamasecondary to help make the score 19-13, per CBS Sports:Griffith added his fifth field goal of the game from 47 yards out nearly five minutes into the fourth quarter to put Alabama ahead by two scores at 22-13.The Crimson Tide benefited from mental miscues on Auburn's part as a late hit out of bounds on Coker gave them 15 free yards, and then another 15 yards were tacked on after a personal foul on the Auburn sideline.The flag appeared to be against Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, which prompted ESPN's Bomani Jones to chastise the former Florida head coach:Auburn had an opportunity to stay in the game, but after the Tigers punted the ball away on their next possession, Henry took over.Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin dialed up 10 consecutive handoffs to Henry, and although the Crimson Tide turned the ball over on downs at Auburn's 31-yard line, the drive took more than five minutes off the clock and left the Tigers with just 2:46 to score twice.Auburn could not move the ball, which allowed Alabama to put an exclamation point on the game with a 25-yard touchdown run by Henry on fourth down with just 26 seconds remaining.Saturday's showing wasn't a dominant one for the Crimson Tide, but winning a rivalry game is rarely easy, especially when it is on the road.Alabama's resume is impressive enough to excuse an unconvincing win, especially if it manages to close the SEC campaign out with a victory over the Gators next week.The Tide are in the thick of things when it comes to the national championship hunt, but they will have to put together complete performances moving forward to end the season as the No. 1 team in the nation.Postgame ReactionThe 2015 season has been a difficult one for Auburn, but the Tigers didn't make things easy for rival Alabama en route to the Tide's SEC West title and a spot in the SEC Championship Game.Auburn kept the score close throughout, with Henry's late touchdown run making the win look easier than it actually was for the Crimson Tide.According to Tom Green of the Opelika-Auburn News, Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn was happy with the way his players competed and performed:Malzahn also pointed toward the consecutive 15-yard penalties incurred by the Tigers as a potential turning point that swung the momentum in Alabama's favor, per Green:With that said, the Crimson Tide seized an opportunity when it presented itself, and Henry was a big reason for that.'Bama fed the possible Heisman Trophy front-runner early and often, which led to heavy praise from Saban after the game, per Aaron Suttles of the Tuscaloosa News:Henry showed remarkable stamina by answering the bell time and again throughout the game, and Saban revealed that the dominant workhorse wanted it that way, according to Rick Karle of WBRC.com:While Coker has held his own at quarterback this season, there is no question that Henry has been the biggest key to Alabama's offensive success.Although the Tide wouldn't be in their current position without him, Henry needs to be at his best moving forward if they are going to win the SEC and compete for a national title.Saban is well aware of Henry's importance to the team, and every indication is that he and the defense will continue to be the centerpiece of Alabamas success.Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.
Click here to read full news..
