TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa did not play in the 2017 Iron Bowl loss at Auburn, the Crimson Tide's lone setback in last season's national championship run.
Tagovailoa's debut in the rivalry yielded a performance Saturday that can be argued as the most impressive in its storied history.
The Heisman Trophy favorite threw five touchdown passes and rushed for another score in No. 1 Alabama's 52-21 whipping of Auburn before a nervous-turned-delighted crowd of 101,821 inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. His six total touchdowns set a program record and broke the mark of five set by five players, including former starting quarterback and current backup Jalen Hurts.
Alabama completed a 12-0 regular season heading into this Saturday's showdown against Georgia (11-1) in the Southeastern Conference championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
"It was a good team win, and I'm not too focused on any of these awards right now," Tagovailoa said. "We've still got another game, the SEC championship, so we can worry about all of those later. I'm just worried about what I can do to help this team become successful."
Tagovailoa completed 25 of 32 passes for 342 yards overall, and he was 11-of-12 for 208 yards and four scores in the second half. The Tide led just 17-14 at halftime, but Tagovailoa capped Alabama's first two possessions of the second half with a 46-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Jeudy and a 33-yard scoring toss to Josh Jacobs.
Alabama finished with 500 yards, with Tagovailoa leading an attack that averaged a robust 8.5 yards per play.
"He was outstanding, and I thought it was really important that we hit two big plays to start the second half and score really quickly," Tide coach Nick Saban said. "I think that changed the game quite a bit when we got it to 31-14, and he was obviously responsible for both of those explosive plays - the one to Jerry Jeudy and the one to Josh Jacobs.
"That was the real turning point in the game."
Auburn's only counter to Tagovailoa's second-half onslaught was a 52-yard scoring strike from Jarrett Stidham to Darius Slayton to pull the Tigers within 31-21 with 3:31 remaining in the third quarter. Tagovailoa answered that score 69 seconds later with a 40-yard touchdown throw to DeVonta Smith and added a 22-yard score to Henry Ruggs in the first minute of the fourth quarter.
The Tigers had their regular season, which began in the top 10, end at 7-5, including a 3-5 mark in SEC play.
"I thought we were in good position after the first half," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "Our goal was to get to the fourth quarter, but the game got away from us in the third quarter. That was very disappointing.
"We were in good position, and we just didn't get it done."
Auburn appeared to produce the game's first big play when Shaun Shivers broke free for a 75-yard touchdown run, but the Tigers were flagged for holding, and an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty on the Auburn sideline resulted in a first-and-27 from its 8-yard line. The Tigers wound up punting from their end zone, and an interference penalty on Jaylen Waddle's fair-catch attempt resulted in Alabama starting its second possession at the Auburn 34.
The Tide covered those 34 yards in five plays, taking the game's first lead when Tagovailoa kept around left end for a 7-yard touchdown.
Auburn's ability to run effectively against Alabama had been questioned before the game, but the Tigers answered Alabama's opening score with a 10-play, 73-yard drive that tied the game at 7. Boobie Whitlow opened the possession with five carries for 25 yards and then converted on third-and-13 with a 25-yard catch from Jarrett Stidham to Alabama's 14.
A 9-yard touchdown run by Anthony Schwartz produced the deadlock, but it didn't last long as Alabama responded with an eight-play, 65-yard drive that ended on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Tagovailoa to Ruggs. The Tide's 14-7 lead grew to 17-7 on their next possession, when a 30-yard Joseph Bulovas field goal capped a 10-play, 57-yard drive.
The plot thickened when Auburn blocked a Mike Bernier punt at the Alabama 23-yard line and scored on a 23-yard touchdown pass from receiver Ryan Davis to running back Malik Miller to pull within 17-14. It was Alabama's second-closest halftime score of the season, behind only the previous week's 10-10 tie against The Citadel that quickly became a 50-17 rout.
"Don't ask me why, but it didn't seem like we had the right kind of energy in the first half," Saban said. "I don't know if it was anxiety or what, but we seemed to settle down and play a lot better in the second half."
Said Tide outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings: "In the second half, we were way more electric. We knew that we had to come out and dominate and get them off the field."
Alabama became the first team in NCAA history to complete a 12-0 regular season with all 12 wins by more than 20 points.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.