Kick Six looms large over this rivalry, as it always will. Saturday was the first time the Iron Bowl returned to the scene of one of the most spectacular plays in college football history, a night when one second, one missed kick, one improbable run to a touchdown altered the entire balance of power in this rivalry. Saturday, a referee officiating the Iron Bowl football game between Alabama and Auburn found out the hard way it doesn’t have to be. After preseason talk of a possible Heisman campaign, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound junior’s been underwhelming in the extreme-to the point where he lost his starting job for five games in the middle of the season.
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Auburn (6-5) has played a mediocre season and hopes to repeat 2012 and 2013 when they beat rival Alabama to close out those seasons. He surpassed Trent Richardson for the most rushing yards in a single season with the SEC title game still to play. “We’d really like for someone else to run the ball”, Saban said, “but it got tough to take him out”.
Alabam has had great running backs under Nick Saban. For the record, Newton * a href=”http://collegespun.com/sec/auburn-sec/video-cam-newton-to-alabama-fan-ill-slap-the-sht-out-ya” *was also attending the contest.
Leading by 10 going to halftime, 20-10, Michigan State took firm control of the game right out of the halftime break by driving right down the field on Penn State for an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to build a 27-10 lead.
Plus, when discussing resumes, it’s not like Alabama’s road to glory in the SEC is tough enough to negate a loss.
“It was a number of things”, Malzahn said. Altogether, Derrick Henry outgained Auburn, 271 yards to 260.
Alabama’s kicker didn’t let what happened two years ago faze him when Auburn coach Gus Malzahn put someone in the end zone on his field goal attempt. Only this time, no SEC or national title shot was on the line. This is a team that had chances to win this football game. Henry rushed for 68 yards on nine carries in Alabama’s 56-6 blowout win over Charleston Southern but ran for at least 200 yards in three of the four previous games ranks No. 2 nationally in rushing yards (1,526). There was a wide open touchdown to Ricardo Louis that he threw just past. But by the time the Tigers got the ball back, they had only 2:49 and one timeout to work with.
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The Auburn Tigers have played two quarterbacks this season, but Jeremy Johnson is expected to get the start Saturday. After Henry gained three on a rush up the middle, two incompletions forced a 50-yard field goal try by Griffith.
