TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - National championships have come more easily than undefeated seasons for Alabama under coach Nick Saban, but the top-ranked Crimson Tide stayed on track to accomplish both Saturday with a 30-12 victory over Auburn.
By winning a statistically lopsided Iron Bowl, the Crimson Tide wrapped up their first 12-0 regular season since 2009, when Alabama won its first of four national titles under Saban. The Tide will try to make it 13-0 this coming Saturday in Atlanta, where they will face Florida in the Southeastern Conference championship game.
"I'm proud of our players having an undefeated season, especially in our league," Saban said. "They may not all be there now, but there were six or seven teams in the top 20 when we played them, so I'm really proud of the way these guys have competed and the resolve that they've shown in some difficult circumstances. At Ole Miss earlier in the year, we got behind 24-3, and I think consistency in performance is the most difficult thing for any team now, especially for college players.
"We've had some difficult games against some really good teams, and it's not going to stop here. Florida has a really good team, a really good defensive team, and they've got good all-around players. That's going to be another tough test for us."
Alabama also capped an 8-0 finish in league play after five consecutive 7-1 conference records.
"This is huge, and it was one of our goals at the start of the season," Tide center Bradley Bozeman said. "We wanted to be 1-0 every week, and to look back and you're 12-0 - that's a good feeling, but there is more to accomplish."
The Crimson Tide will be seeking a third straight SEC title after winning a third straight Iron Bowl, something Alabama had not done in this heated rivalry since 1990-92, when Gene Stallings was in his first three seasons coaching in Tuscaloosa. That streak came on the heels of Auburn winning four straight (1986-89) under Pat Dye, and the Tigers won six straight Iron Bowls (2002-07) under Tommy Tuberville, with Tuberville's sixth consecutive triumph occurring in Saban's first season.
Auburn hung around Saturday until a 4-yard Jalen Hurts touchdown run at the 9:58 mark of the third quarter gave Alabama a 20-9 lead and some breathing room. The Tide held a 17-1 advantage in first downs at that point and a 320-29 advantage in total yards, and they spent the rest of the game making sure the score better reflected the statistics.
Hurts threw for 286 yards and Bo Scarbrough rushed for 90, including 83 in the second half, as Alabama powered its way to 501 total yards while holding the Tigers to 182. ArDarius Stewart was Hurts' favorite target with 10 catches for 127 yards.
"We ran the ball more and ran the ball with our tailbacks a lot more," Saban said about the second half. "We didn't run the quarterback nearly as much, and we settled down into some basic things that we do and allowed our players to execute."
Said Auburn coach Gus Malzahn: "Our defense played extremely well until they got worn down."
The Tigers, who played without starting quarterback Sean White, struck first when a 58-yard punt return by Stephen Roberts to Alabama's 21-yard line set up Daniel Carlson's 42-yard field goal. The Crimson Tide answered with a 13-play, 64-yard drive that culminated with Adam Griffith's 29-yard field goal that made it 3-3, and their possession was extended when Hurts had a 17-yard scramble out to Alabama's 40-yard line on third-and-12.
The Crimson Tide needed just three plays to cover 55 yards on their next drive, as Hurts connected with Stewart for 39 yards to the Auburn 17 and with Damien Harris out of the backfield for a touchdown on the next play, putting Alabama up 10-3 with 2:49 left in the first quarter.
Hurts was intercepted by Daniel Thomas at Alabama's 41-yard line on the first play of the second quarter, but Auburn's offense went three-and-out for the fourth time in the game. Carlson was called on from 52 yards out and drilled it to make it 10-6.
Thomas intercepted Hurts again midway through the second quarter and had a 29-yard return to Alabama's 41-yard line, which helped set up Carlson's third field goal of the day, a 39-yarder pulling the Tigers within 10-9.
Griffith gave the Iron Bowl five first-half field goals when he connected from 25 yards out with 16 seconds remaining to make it 13-9 at the break.
"I really can't say enough about the great feeling I have in terms of the way our guys competed in the game today," Saban said. "This is a great win, and I want our players to enjoy it. They also have a big challenge coming up next week. It's sort of like the playoffs: We have to get ready for that starting Monday and go from there."
Saturday's win was the 24th in a row for the Tide dating back to last season's loss to Ole Miss. The Rebels are the only team this season to have played Alabama within one score.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.