Auburn 28-27 Victor in 75th Iron Bowl: Now 8 for 11, and 5 for 6 in T-Town

Alabama Coach Nick Saban gets angry after an illegal substitution penalty on his team in the second quarter the Iron Bowl at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Friday, Nov. 26, 2010. (The Birmingham News/ Mark Almond)

It seems the newest football stadium in Tuscaloosa is cursed.

And what might that curse be?

Bryant-Denny Stadium – better known as “Jordan-Hare West” – has proven to be a losing grounds for the Crimson Tide when they play the Auburn Tigers.

With the direction of Head Coach Gene Chizik, leadership of Quarterback Cameron Newton, and the fearsome quarterback sacking power of Defensive Tackle Nick Fairley, Auburn proved yet again that their end game is a powerhouse, and why they’re ranked #2 nationally, and remain undefeated, now 12-0, and 8-0 in the SEC.

Alabama was first on the board, and in a big way. Quarterback Greg McElroy drove consecutive first downs the field on each play, resulting in what turned out to be three consecutive scoring drives each time ‘Bama had possession of the ball in the first quarter. However, some point out that scoring first frequently portends problems later in the game, which unfortunately proved to be true for the Tide. Auburn suffered two consecutive quarterback sacks, and frequently, the Tide’s defensive linemen chased Cameron Newton, far behind the line of scrimmage, and on occasion, tripping him up. To be certain, it didn’t look good for the Tigers.

It seemed the Tide had a Tiger by the tail. However, the Tide began to ebb late in the second quarter when Cameron Newton began his renown high stepping through, over and around some of the pile-ups, and the Tide, having already played their best game, began making sloppy mistakes such as fumbles, incomplete passes and more.

Alabama running back Mark Ingram (22) fumbles the ball as he is hit by Auburn defensive end Antoine Carter (45) in the second quarter the Iron Bowl at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Friday, Nov. 26, 2010. The ball was recovered by Auburn in the end zone for a touchback. (The Birmingham News/ Mark Almond)

The turnaround began when Auburn Defensive End Antoine Carter was chasing 2009 Heisman trophy winner, Running Back Mark Ingram down the sideline and caught Ingram, who then fumbled the ball into the end zone where Auburn’s Demond Washington recovered for a touchback.

Near the end of the first half, Quarterback Greg McElroy fumbled after a big hit by Nick Fairley – which Fairley recovered – which cost the Tide another scoring chance deep in Auburn territory.

Emerging from a 24 point deficit in the first half, described as the biggest comeback in school history, “Camzilla” Newton ran for a 1-yard touchdown, threw a scoring 36 yards pass to Emory Blake, 70 yards to Terrell Zachery and, a 7-yard touchdown to Philip Lutzenkirchen with 11:55 remaining in the first half, that gave Auburn their first lead of the day.

If there ever was doubt in the minds of the Heisman trophy committee surrounding the thus-far unsubstantiated allegations against Cam Newton, and his ability to lead a team, there is none now.

Auburn’s next match-up as the winner of the SEC West, is December 4, in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome, against the 8-3, 5-3 SEC, #18 ranked South Carolina Gamecocks, winners of the SEC East, which the Tigers defeated 35-27 earlier in the season, September 25. The game will be broadcast by CBS, beginning 4PM Eastern, 3PM Central.

Presuming Auburn’s “A” game continues, and they defeat South Carolina, their next match-up will be with the #1 ranked Oregon Ducks.

Or should it be “Duck Hunting Season Opens Soon!“?

Scoring Summary

FIRST QUARTER				AUB	ALA
	TD	11:34	Mark Ingram 9 Yd Run (Jeremy Shelley Kick)	0	7
	TD	08:39	Julio Jones 68 Yd Pass From Greg McElroy (Jeremy Shelley Kick)	0	14
	TD	01:58	Darius Hanks 12 Yd Pass From Greg McElroy (Jeremy Shelley Kick)	0	21
SECOND QUARTER				AUB	ALA
	FG	08:01	Jeremy Shelley 20 Yd	0	24
	TD	05:08	Emory Blake 36 Yd Pass From Cameron Newton (Wes Byrum Kick)	7	24
THIRD QUARTER				AUB	ALA
	TD	14:04	Terrell Zachery 70 Yd Pass From Cameron Newton (Wes Byrum Kick)	14	24
	TD	04:25	Cameron Newton 1 Yd Run (Wes Byrum Kick)	21	24
	FG	01:05	Jeremy Shelley 32 Yd	21	27
FOURTH QUARTER				AUB	ALA
	TD	11:55	Philip Lutzenkirchen 7 Yd Pass From Cameron Newton (Wes Byrum Kick)	28	27

Team Stat Comparison

	Auburn	Alabama
1st Downs	17	23
3rd down efficiency	4-13	3-12
4th down efficiency	2-2	3-4
Total Yards	324	446
Passing	216	377
Comp-Att	13-20	27-41
Yards per pass	10.8	9.2
Rushing	108	69
Rushing Attempts	41	30
Yards per rush	2.6	2.3
Penalties	2-30	7-40
Turnovers	1	2
Fumbles lost	1	2
Interceptions thrown	0	0
Possession	26:59	33:01

Auburn Passing
	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT
C. Newton	13/20	216	10.8	3	0
Team	13/20	216	10.8	3	0

Alabama Passing
	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT
G. McElroy	27/37	377	10.2	2	0
A. McCarron	0/4	0	0.0	0	0
Team	27/41	377	9.2	2	0

Auburn Rushing
	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LG
O. McCalebb	8	50	6.3	0	20
C. Newton	22	39	1.8	1	12
M. Dyer	9	27	3.0	0	13
-. Team	1	-3	-3.0	0	0
T. Zachery	1	-5	-5.0	0	0
Team	41	108	2.6	1	20

Alabama Rushing
	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LG
M. Ingram	10	36	3.6	1	9
T. Richardson	10	24	2.4	0	7
J. Jones	1	12	12.0	0	12
M. Maze	1	7	7.0	0	7
G. McElroy	8	-10	-1.3	0	10
Team	30	69	2.3	1	12

Auburn Receiving
	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LG
T. Zachery	2	79	39.5	1	70
E. Blake	3	39	13.0	1	36
K. Burns	2	32	16.0	0	19
D. Adams	2	29	14.5	0	20
O. McCalebb	2	24	12.0	0	15
P. Lutzenkirchen	1	7	7.0	1	7
M. Fannin	1	6	6.0	0	6
Team	13	216	16.6	3	70

Alabama Receiving
	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LG
J. Jones	10	199	19.9	1	68
M. Ingram	4	91	22.8	0	41
D. Hanks	5	39	7.8	1	12
P. Dial	3	26	8.7	0	13
M. Maze	2	13	6.5	0	9
T. Richardson	3	9	3.0	0	9
Team	27	377	14.0	2	68

Auburn Kick Returns
	NO	YDS	AVG	LG
D. Washington	3	65	21.7	28
O. McCalebb	2	38	19.0	25
E. Smith	1	4	4.0	4
Team	6	107	17.8	28

Alabama Kick Returns
	NO	YDS	AVG	LG
J. Jones	3	62	20.7	25
Team	3	62	20.7	25

Auburn Punt Returns
	NO	YDS	AVG	LG
Q. Carr	1	-8	-8.0	1
Team	1	-8	-8.0	1

Alabama Punt Returns
	NO	YDS	AVG	LG
M. Maze	2	0	0.0	0
Team	2	0	0.0	0

Auburn Kicking
	FG	PCT	LONG	XP	PTS
W. Byrum	0/0	0.0	—	4/4	4
Team	0/0	0.0	—	4/4	4

Alabama Kicking
	FG	PCT	LONG	XP	PTS
J. Shelley	2/2	100.0	32	3/3	9
Team	2/2	100.0	32	3/3	9

Auburn Punting
	TOT	YDS	AVG	TB	-20	LG
R. Shoemaker	7	271	38.7	0	2	48
Team	7	271	38.7	0	2	48

Alabama Punting
	TOT	YDS	AVG	TB	-20	LG
C. Mandell	4	135	33.8	0	1	47
Team	4	135	33.8	0	1	47

ATTENDANCE: 101,821

Caption: Alabama Coach Nick Saban gets angry after an illegal substitution penalty on his team in the second quarter the Iron Bowl at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Friday, Nov. 26, 2010. (The Birmingham News/ Mark Almond)