TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – In many ways, Alabama lost Friday’s Iron Bowl in the first 30 minutes, even though the Crimson Tide went up 24-0 and still led 24-7 at halftime.
They were spectacular in racking up 379 first-half yards, but they made three critical errors that prevented them from amassing an even bigger bulge. Injuries limited Alabama in the second half, and Auburn roared back for a 28-27 triumph.
“I just don’t know what happened out there,” Tide tailback Trent Richardson said. “We left a lot of points on the field.”
Alabama could not have been more dominant out of the gate, producing touchdown drives of 71, 81 and 61 yards to stake a shocking 21-0 lead over the nation’s No. 2 team. But then miscues crept into the game for the hosts.
On the Tide’s fourth possession, Greg McElroy completed a 41-yard pass to tailback Mark Ingram, but Auburn defensive end Antoine Carter came up from behind and punched the ball so hard it rolled from the 19-yard line through the end zone, resulting in a touchback. Ingram’s second-quarter fumble was only the second he has lost in 613 career touches; the first was a strip last season by Tennessee safety Eric Berry.
“The guy running behind me made a great play,” Ingram said. “Of course, I could have had better ball security. I was trying to stay on my feet and get as close as I could to the end zone, but he made a great play.”
Alabama got a 20-yard Jeremy Shelley field goal on its next drive to make it 24-0, but that came three plays after Richardson dropped a pass from McElroy on first-and-goal from the 3.
“I just knew I was in the end zone,” Richardson said. “I was already celebrating. That was my fault.”
The Tide took its sixth and final possession of the first half to Auburn’s 7-yard line, but Ingram was tackled for a 1-yard loss on first-and-goal. On second down, Tigers defensive tackle Nick Fairley broke through to sack McElroy, causing a fumble that he recovered.
So even though the Tide scored 24 first-half points, it’s not too far-fetched to think that they could have tallied 42.
“That was about as fine a first half of offensive football we have played in a long time against a good team,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said, “but the scoring opportunities that we squandered were the difference.”
In the second half, Alabama lost receiver Julio Jones to a knee bruise, receiver Darius Hanks to bruised ribs and, with 5:36 to play, McElroy with a concussion. Saban said after the game that McElroy checked out fine.
McElroy completed 19 of 23 first-half passes for 335 yards and two touchdowns. That alone set a career best for yardage, and he wound up with 377, the most for the Crimson Tide since Jay Barker threw for 396 yards in a 29-28 win over Georgia in 1994.
McElroy’s two touchdown passes give him 19 this year, an Alabama single-season record.
Jones had a 68-yard touchdown reception to cap Alabama’s second drive and finished with 10 catches for 199 yards. His single-game yardage total ranks third in school history, but he is the program’s new single-season record holder in receptions (72) and yards (1,059).