Alabama coach Nick Saban leads his team onto the field prior to their NCAA college football game against Auburn at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday.TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama punched out Auburn while punching its ticket to the Southeastern Conference championship game on a brisk Saturday afternoon at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
AJ McCarron threw for 216 yards and four touchdowns and Eddie Lacy rushed for 131 yards and two scores as the No. 2 Crimson Tide walloped the Tigers 49-0 in the most lopsided Iron Bowl in more than six decades. Alabama scored touchdowns on its first seven possessions, converted its first 11 third-down opportunities and never allowed Auburn past the Tide’s 41-yard line.
“It’s been a great ride and a lot of fun, and what a way to end it,” Alabama senior center Barrett Jones said of his Bryant-Denny finale. “Playing against our rival and beating them pretty good — that was a lot of fun. I don’t think the first team made any mistakes when we were out there.”
The only Iron Bowl with a larger victory margin was Alabama’s 55-0 rout in 1948. The Tide had a chance to break that mark, but backup quarterback Blake Sims fumbled at Auburn’s 7-yard line late in the third quarter, and coach Nick Saban called for his team to take a knee on the Auburn 5 with 11 seconds remaining.
Alabama improved to 11-1 and clinched the SEC West title and will play Georgia next weekend in Atlanta for the conference championship and a spot in the BCS title game. The Bulldogs (11-1) were equally impressive Saturday in their 42-10 trouncing of ACC Coastal Division champion Georgia Tech.