Auburn rallies to edge Tide

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Auburn quarterback Cam Newton entered Friday having done just about everything this season except rally his team from a 24-point deficit on the road against the defending national champion.

Now he has done that.

As if Newton winning the Heisman Trophy wasn’t already cemented before the 75th Iron Bowl, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound junior threw for three touchdowns and rushed for another as Auburn rallied for a thrilling 28-27 victory over Alabama before a Bryant-Denny Stadium crowd of 101,821. The Tigers trailed 24-0 midway through the second quarter before posting the largest comeback in Iron Bowl history and in school history as well.

“That was a game that will certainly go down in history,” Auburn coach Gene Chizik said after his No. 2 Tigers improved to 12-0. “It’s hard to come back when you’re down 24-0. It was a great win for Auburn football, and it was a great win for Auburn University. I couldn’t be more proud of that locker room in there. It is full of a lot of love, I’ll tell you that.”

Newton raced across the field to celebrate with jubilant Auburn fans, but he again was not made available to the media because of the NCAA investigation into allegations that his father, Cecil Newton, had a $180,000 asking price last winter for his son to sign with Mississippi State.

There were plenty of “$cam Newton” T-shirts for sale before the game, and when Newton and his teammates entered the field in their warmup suits more than an hour before kickoff, Steve Miller’s “Take the Money and Run” was played over the loudspeakers. That was followed by Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man.”

Things only got worse for Newton once the game started, as he didn’t complete a pass in the first quarter and was sacked twice.

By the time Alabama took a 24-0 lead midway through the second quarter on a Jeremy Shelley field goal, the Crimson Tide had amassed 295 total yards and the Tigers had 2. The same Auburn offense that had 330 rushing yards against Arkansas, 440 against LSU, 343 at Ole Miss and 315 against Georgia had minus-10 in the first half.

“We were just really anxious,” Auburn tailback Michael Dyer said of the early going. “We were just too anxious and caught up in all the hype in the first half, and in the second half we just got into our rhythm and played ball.”

Auburn got on the board with 5:08 left in the first half on a 36-yard touchdown pass from Newton to Emory Blake and pulled within 24-14 two plays into the third quarter on Newton’s 70-yard strike to Terrell Zachery. Crimson Tide safety Mark Barron appeared to be in a position to deflect the ball before it arrived to Zachery but said he injured his pectoral muscle late in the first half and couldn’t get his arm up to make a play.

“That kind of really sums up the year,” Barron said. “We had a lot of defensive inconsistencies this season. We just didn’t come out and finish the way we were supposed to.”

Newton capped a 75-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run at the 4:25 mark of the third quarter to make it 24-21, and the Tigers survived a fumbled punt by Quindarius Carr moments later by holding the Tide to another Shelley field goal.

Auburn converted a fourth-and-3 from Alabama’s 47-yard line early in the fourth quarter with a 9-yard pass from Newton to Darvin Adams. The Tigers took their first lead on a 7-yard toss from Newton to tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen with 11:55 remaining, which wound up capping Newton’s aerial day at 216 yards.

Alabama took its ensuing possession to Auburn’s 34-yard line, but Tide quarterback Greg McElroy suffered a third-and-12 sack by T’Sharvan Bell that resulted in a concussion. The Crimson Tide now will await their bowl fate, while Auburn will face South Carolina in next Saturday’s SEC championship.

There will be no timetable for debating where the latest Iron Bowl will rank, though some were offering quick opinions.

“This is probably the best win in Auburn history,” Tigers linebacker Josh Bynes said.