Alabama vs. Auburn score, takeaways: Tide stun Tigers with incredible last-chance TD to keep CFP hopes alive

There was a miracle inside Jordan-Hare Stadium, but this one went against the Tigers this time around

One decade after the "Kick Six" broke the hearts of Alabama fans at Jordan-Hare Stadium, the Tide returned the favor in the same corner of the end zone in what will forever be known as "Fourth-and-31." Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe's pass on fourth-and-goal from the 31-yard line landed in the waiting arms of Isiah Bond in the back corner of the end zone with 32 seconds to go in the game to save the No. 8 Crimson Tide from the brink of disaster as Alabama stormed back for a 27-24 win over Auburn in the Iron Bowl. 

The miraculous play was the culmination of a wild sequence of events that nearly saw the one-loss Crimson Tide blow a golden opportunity in the red zone. 

On second-and-goal from the 8-yard line, Alabama center Seth McLaughlin snapped the ball to an unprepared Milroe on second-and-goal from the 8 with under two minutes to play. Milroe recovered at the 26-yard line, however. The Tide signal-caller rolled left and all the way back to the right side on third-and-goal, crossed the line of scrimmage and tossed an incomplete pass with 43 seconds left. Despite the near-disaster, Milroe was able to snag a rabbit out of the hat with his late-game heroics.

Auburn appeared to have things in control when it held Alabama to three-and-out up four points with 4:48 to play. However, Koy Moore muffed the punt and Jihaad Campbell recovered at the Auburn 30-yard line. That kept alive what wound up being the game-winning drive as Alabama remains in the College Football Playoff hunt entering next weekend's SEC Championship Game against No. 1 Georgia.

• The Crimson Tide were 6 of 17 on third down but 0 of 4 in the fourth-quarter. They were 2 of 2 on fourth down in the final quarter, however, with the touchdown pass from Milroe to Bond being the dagger.
• Alabama's offensive line only gave up one sack to the Tigers, which is a departure from the norm. The Crimson Tide's offensive line had given up 3.46 sacks per game on the season and has been a big question mark throughout the year.
• Auburn didn't call a running play on its first two touchdown drives as Demari Alston scored from 2 yards out and wide receiver Ja'Varrius Johnson scored from 12 yards out on an end around for the second. Johnson, who also caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Payton Thorne, is the first player to score a rushing and receiving touchdown in the Iron Bowl since 2005.
• Milroe was credited with seven "big" plays through the air, which are considered plays of 20 or more yards. Those seven completions accounted for 200 of his 259 overall passing yards. 

CBS Sports was with you throughout the game providing live updates, highlights and analysis. Keep it locked here as we will provide takeaways below shortly. 

[Nov 25, 2023 at 7:45 pm ET · Barrett Sallee]

Alabama still needs College Football Playoff help

I wrote earlier this week that Alabama didn't need "style points" against Auburn in its quest for the College Football Playoff -- it just needed a win. The Iron Bowl is one of the wildest rivalries in the sport, and to get a win at Auburn's place after suffering so many heartbreaking defeats is more than enough to keep the Crimson Tide in the discussion. That theory will be tested on Tuesday when the CFP Selection Committee reveals its penultimate rankings heading into championship weekend. 

However, the Crimson Tide still need help because it has a "Texas problem." The head-to-head, double-digit loss at home is more than enough to keep the Longhorns at least one spot ahead in the rankings if both finish with one loss. Sure, that would mean that Alabama will have a win over Georgia on its resume, but Texas would still have the better win in the eyes of the committee: the win in Week 2 over Alabama. That's how the committee operates. 

[Nov 25, 2023 at 7:36 pm ET · Barrett Sallee]

Milroe with momentum going into the SEC title game

It's been a wild season for Alabama's offense, but especially so for the quarterback. Jalen Milroe struggled out of the gate, lost to Texas, was benched in Week 3 and developed into a dual-threat weapon who is riding high when it matters most. Milroe could have panicked on that wild sequence of events in the goal-to-go situation with under a minute left. Instead, he looked like his heart rate was in the low 60s, even when all looked lost on the fourth-and-goal from the 31-yard line.

That composure not only filters through the offense and the locker room, but further establishes Alabama's identity as the Tide head to Atlanta to take on two-time reigning national champion Georgia. Nothing Alabama will see against the Bulldogs will compare to what it went through on Saturday night on the Plains. Heck, we haven't seen anything like that in recent college football history, if ever. 

The coaching staff and Milroe have already rekindled the spark that led to their marriage. It felt like coach Nick Saban and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees were trying to fit a square peg in a round hole and calling plays that didn't fit Milroe's strengths earlier this season. That has changed in a big way, and the two will embark on a honeymoon to Atlanta next weekend.

[Nov 25, 2023 at 7:52 pm ET · Barrett Sallee]

The Tide defense deserves a ton of credit

Alabama had trouble stopping the run at times, but its ability to keep Auburn one-dimensional by necessity was a big reason the Crimson Tide got out of the Plains with a win. That defense held Payton Thorne to just 2 of 10 through the air in the first half, sacked him four times and held Auburn to just 4 of 12 on third down. Linebackers Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell were consistently in the backfield. Turner had one sack and two tackles for loss, while Braswell had a sack and a forced fumble. Even when they weren't making plays, they were getting Thorne off of his mark or forcing running backs to make cuts in the backfield. There will be a lot of focus on Auburn's success on the ground, and the Tigers deserve credit for that. However, the passing attack was never a threat due in large part to Alabama's defensive success in key situations. 

[Nov 25, 2023 at 8:00 pm ET · Barrett Sallee]

Hope for Auburn

Coach Hugh Freeze's first season on the Plains has been a roller coaster. The Tigers won their first three games, lost their first four conference games, won their next three in the SEC and then lost to New Mexico State last week. They nearly dug out of the pit of despair after the loss to the Aggies during tonight's Iron Bowl, and that should count for something. 

Freeze knows how to win at a high level, and he showed it even in a losing effort. The Auburn roster is nowhere near as talented as Alabama. It's not even in the same stratosphere. Yet Freeze nearly got the job done on the biggest stage of his young Auburn career. 

Now comes the important part: Freeze's recruiting effort. Auburn has the resources to be a force on the recruiting trail and in the NIL world, and has a chance to show it over the next several weeks. As was the case with the Georgia game earlier this year, the official visit list for this game read like an encyclopedia. Even though both games resulted in Auburn losses, the atmosphere will help Freeze accelerate his roster-building efforts. 

[Nov 25, 2023 at 6:23 pm ET · Barrett Sallee]

Auburn extends the lead

The Tigers ripped off a beautiful 16-play, 72-yard drive that gobbled up 8:18. Coach Hugh Freeze had Uncle Mo on his side until the Tide defense buckled down in the red zone, stopped running back Jarquez Hunter on the 4-yard line on third-and-goal and forced Alex McPherson to connect on a 21-yard field goal. That might as well have been a "win" for the Crimson Tide. The Tigers were absolutely rolling thanks to a tremendous rushing attack that included quarterback Payton Thorne. They now get the ball back with a chance to take the lead. 

[Nov 25, 2023 at 6:11 pm ET · Barrett Sallee]

End 3rd: Auburn 21, No. 8 Alabama 20

There is a magic around Jordan-Hare Stadium tonight. Home-standing Auburn, which lost to New Mexico State last week, leads rival Alabama at the start of the fourth quarter. Quarterback Payton Thorne found a wide open Ja'Varrius Johnson for the only touchdown of the third quarter, igniting the crowd. Alabama appeared to be heading into the end zone to take the lead late in the frame, but an illegal blindside block pushed the Crimson Tide out of the red zone, and Will Reichard missed a 42-yard field goal attempt wide left. 

Thorne is 5 of 13 for 91 yards on the afternoon, and he has added a spark on the ground with 41 yards rushing. The Tigers have the ball inside of Alabama territory as the two teams flip sides for the final time.

[Nov 25, 2023 at 5:59 pm ET · Barrett Sallee]

Just like that, Auburn is back on top

The start to the second half for Auburn was exactly what coach Hugh Freeze wanted. The Tigers held the Crimson Tide to a field goal on the first drive of the second half, drove right down the field on their first possession and cashed it in for six on a beautiful 27-yard touchdown pass from Payton Thorne to a wide-open Ja'Varrius Johnson. Thorne was only 2 of 10 for 20 yards in the first half but is 2 of 2 for 64 yards in the second half as Auburn jumps ahead 21-20.

[Nov 25, 2023 at 5:49 pm ET · Barrett Sallee]

Auburn holds in red zone, Alabama settles for FG

Alabama has been a third-down machine all afternoon as the Crimson Tide had converted 6 of 10 attempts prior to getting inside Auburn's 10-yard line on the first drive of the second half. However, Jalen Milroe's pass on third-and-goal to the left pylon fell short, and kicker Will Reichard settled for a 22-yard field goal. Consider that a "win" for the Auburn defense as it has kept this a one-score game after what was a critical drive coming out of halftime for the Crimson Tide.

[Nov 25, 2023 at 5:11 pm ET · Barrett Sallee]

Half: No. 8 Alabama 17, Auburn 14

The Iron Bowl is getting weird, folks. The Tigers took the lead with a Ja'Varrius Johnson touchdown with just over 2 minutes to play, but the Crimson Tide answered back three plays later when quarterback Jalen Milroe hit a wide-open Jermaine Burton on a 68-yard touchdown. Milroe is 10 of 13 for 176 yards and one touchdown through two quarters, and Jase McClellan has been the star of the show on the ground with 50 yards rushing.

The Tigers have been one-sided all afternoon, but they have been making it work so far. Quarterback Payton Thorne has not attempted a pass on either of their touchdown drives. However, Jarquez Hunter has 80 yards on 10 carries, and Damari Alston has 73 yards and one score. If Auburn can stay on schedule, the offensive line has shown that it can handle the Alabama defensive front. However, when Thorne gets in obvious passing situations, the Crimson Tide have been living in the backfield.

[Nov 25, 2023 at 5:00 pm ET · Barrett Sallee]

Auburn takes the lead

We have a ball game on The Plains. Damari Alston got Auburn out of the shadow of its own goal posts with runs of eight and 56 yards, and wide receiver Ja'Varrius Johnson capped off the three-play drive with a 12-yard run on an end around to give the Tigers a 14-10 lead late in the first half. Auburn has not called a pass play on either of its touchdown drives, and the offensive line gets in a groove when coach Hugh Freeze cranks up the tempo.

[Nov 25, 2023 at 4:30 pm ET · Barrett Sallee]

Alabama jumps back on top

It looked like Alabama found the end zone on the second play of the second quarter, but quarterback Jalen Milore's pass to Amari Niblack was thrown well beyond the line of scrimmage, forcing Alabama to settle for a 32-yard field goal to retake a 10-7 lead. It was a small win for Auburn's defense, which had been getting exposed by a Crimson Tide offense that is 3 of 5 on third down and averaging 7.0 yards per play.

[Nov 25, 2023 at 4:24 pm ET · Barrett Sallee]

End 1st: No. 8 Alabama 7, Auburn 7

We have a tight one through the first 15 minutes of the Iron Bowl. Alabama's Roydell Williams got the scoring started on the Crimson Tide's first drive of the game as he capped off a sensational drive with a 2-yard touchdown plunge. However, after two three-and-outs to start the game, the Tigers ripped off five straight runs on a 68-yard touchdown drive punctuated with a touchdown run by Damari Alston. Fellow running back Jarquez Hunter was the true star of the drive, though, as he ripped off 53 yards on the first two plays to get Auburn into Alabama territory for the first time.

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe has been great through the air, completing 7 of 8 passes for 94 yards, and he also has 11 yards on the ground. Alabama has the ball inside the red zone as the two teams switch sides and the Tide heads toward Auburn's student section.

[Nov 25, 2023 at 4:12 pm ET · Barrett Sallee]

Auburn ties it playing ground-and-pound to tie it

After a very, very slow start, Auburn came out hot on its third drive of the game on the ground. The five-play, 68-yard drive was all on the ground. Starting quarterback Jarquez Hunter had 53 yards on the first two plays, and Damari Alston bookended it with a 4-yard plunge to finish it off. That is the kind of drive that Auburn needed after two "three-and-outs" to start things off.

[Nov 25, 2023 at 4:00 pm ET · Barrett Sallee]

Missed facemask call

Auburn went three-and-out on its second drive of the game after taking over inside its own 10-yard line. It shouldn't have taken over inside the 10-yard line, however. Kick returner Brian Battie got his head spun around nearly 270 degrees as a member of the Alabama return team reached out to tackle him, and it wasn't called. In fact, the officials threw flags on the play ... against Auburn. They called an illegal block in the back on it.

[Nov 25, 2023 at 3:53 pm ET · Barrett Sallee]

Statement drive by the Crimson Tide

Alabama came out firing on its first drive of the game, marching 69 yards on eight plays for the game's first touchdown to lead 7-0. The biggest play of the drive came on third-and-17 on the Alabama 45-yard line when quarterback Jalen Milroe hit Malik Benson for a 33-yard gain to keep the chains moving. Roydell Williams punched it in from 2 yards out three plays later, leaving the Jordan-Hare Stadium crowd stunned. Auburn couldn't generate a ton of pressure on Milroe, which doesn't bode well for the future. If he has time, he can pick this Tigers' secondary apart.

[Nov 25, 2023 at 3:47 pm ET · Barrett Sallee]

A terrible first drive for Auburn

Things couldn't have started worse for the Tigers.

• Quarterback Payton Thorne flipped a pass to a TE who wasn't looking on first down
• Thorne threw an incomplete pass on second down
• Had a false start on third-down
• Moved back 5 yards
• Threw an illegal forward pass on the next attempt on third down

[Nov 25, 2023 at 3:00 pm ET · Barrett Sallee]

Prediction time

Weird things tend to happen at Jordan-Hare Stadium, including 10 years ago when the Tigers shocked the Crimson Tide in the "Kick Six." However, Auburn couldn't find that magic last week against the Aggies, and it won't find it this week against the Crimson Tide. The stingy Tide defense will shut down Auburn's rushing attack, set up shop in the Tigers backfield and force Thorne into multiple game-changing mistakes. Even if this game is close for a quarter or two, the Tide will turn it sideways in the second half en route to an easy cover. Pick: Alabama -14.5

[Nov 25, 2023 at 2:45 pm ET · Barrett Sallee]

Dennis Dodd's take

How tough can the Iron Bowl be for Bama? Auburn just lost at home to New Mexico State. No, wait, the Tigers were dominated at home. Strange things happen in the Iron Bowl? Not this time. This could be Jalen Milroe last gasp at a Heisman Trophy moment. He has 24 total touchdowns in the last nine games.

[Nov 25, 2023 at 2:00 pm ET · Barrett Sallee]

Ground-and-pound

It's unlikely that Alabama will feel threatened by the Auburn passing game as starting quarterback Payton Thorne has been far from a difference-maker in his first season since transferring from Michigan State. However, even though Auburn has been one-dimensional by necessity, its running game has still been able to have success despite defenses keying on it all season. It ranks third in the SEC in rushing offense at 194.27 yards per game, and running back Jarquez Hunter has topped the 100-yard mark on the ground in three of Auburn's last four games.

"No one is running too much on that defensive front," Freeze said. "We'll have a good plan. Our backs are good, our tight ends are good and our o-line is competitive, but we do need to establish the run game. It will be no fun if you're having to drop back and throw every down, that won't work. No. 15 (Dallas Turner) and No. 41 (Chris Braswell) off the edge for them are both really, really good. We need to stay balanced and make them have to honor the run game." 

The Crimson Tide's rushing defense has held teams below 4 yards per play in five of their last six games. If they can shut down Auburn's rushing attack, it's unlikely that Thorne and the Tigers will be able to hang in this matchup.

[Nov 25, 2023 at 1:50 pm ET · Barrett Sallee]

Dennis Dodd's path for Alabama to make the CFP

Another one of the one-loss candidates with no wriggle room. Beat Auburn and Georgia, and the Crimson Tide are likely in the playoff. Remember, no SEC champion has been left out since 2005. Alabama could conceivably be in competition for three spots with other 12-1 conference champions: Oregon, Texas and Louisville. If the decision comes down to Texas and Bama, the committee will have to weigh a regular-season head-to-head road win for the 'Horns against the Tide clearly improving throughout the season and taking down the top team in their rankings on the final day of the season in the SEC title game.

College Football Playoff, bowl predictions 2023: Paths the nine remaining contenders must follow

Dennis Dodd

[Nov 25, 2023 at 1:30 pm ET · Barrett Sallee]

What will Auburn's mindset be? 

All seemed right in the world after Auburn went to Arkansas and dominated the Razorbacks 48-10 on Nov. 11, but last week saw that momentum come to a screeching halt in the disastrous loss to New Mexico State. Where will the heads of Auburn's players and coaches be? It's easy to say that they've moved on, but it's a much different thing to actually do it -- especially for 18-to-22-year-old young men.

Auburn coach Hugh Freeze knows that this is one of the most important aspects of game-week preparation for the Tide.

"Now we've quickly got to turn the page and put that behind us for sure, because we all know what the Iron Bowl means to so many. And you can fix your feelings a whole heck of a lot with a good performance in that game," he said on Monday.

Could Auburn have overlooked New Mexico State and spent more time getting ready for Alabama last week? It would explain last week's loss a little bit. We'll see when they come out of the tunnel on Saturday afternoon at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

[Nov 25, 2023 at 1:00 pm ET · Barrett Sallee]

Jalen Milroe is hot

It's been fascinating to watch Milroe's progression in his first season as starting quarterback. He has steadily progressed into one of the top signal-callers in the nation since being benched in Week 3 vs. South Florida. Milroe has only tossed three interceptions since the start of October, has accounted for 13 touchdowns since the start of November, is second in the nation in yards per attempt (10.6) -- behind only LSU's Jayden Daniels -- and is tied for second in the conference in rushing touchdowns (12). 

"I think he's been pretty effective in his choices of when to step up in the pocket, when to run, when he has an opportunity to make a play, when he doesn't," coach Nick Saban said on Monday. "But I think the thing he's developed is the ability to keep his eyes downfield and make plays in the passing game, even when the pocket breaks down. I think he's been an effective runner for us when we've had perimeter plays that involve reads on his part to get to the perimeter. I think both those things help us overall, offensively, in terms of what the defense has to defend."

Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who was selected as a semifinalist for the Broyles Award, has done a tremendous job of working with Milroe and accentuating his strengths as the season has progressed. The marriage between the two has transformed the Alabama offense from a liability into a one of the most dangerous units in the game.