BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
Maybe we should all go ahead and thank Aaron Murray right now. Pat him on the back and apologize for that miracle thing.
Because if we can take anything away from Auburnās unreal and unthinkable ā and basically, stolen ā victory over Georgia, itās this: Auburn canāt beat Alabama.
The Auburn team that jumped to a 27-7 lead over Georgia and looked unbeatable could. The Tigers team that finished the game and needed the best play in the history of plays to somehow win a game it had no business winning, can not.
Itās that simple.
Auburn nearly blew a 20-point lead because Auburn canāt do the one thing it must do to beat Alabama: get consistent stops of defense.
Texas A&M scored 42 points on the Tide and couldnāt win. LSU had Alabama on its heels in the third quarter, and was doing whatever it wanted offensively ā and couldnāt win.
Because in both case, when both teams needed to get a stop on defense, they couldnāt get it. Thatās the big misconception with this Alabama team: itās not the defense that gets you, itās the pound it down your throat, relentless offense that breaks your will and keeps the defense fresh enough to eventually make adjustments and take control.
Ohio State can score points in bunches. Baylor can score in seconds. Florida State can do whatever it wants to any defense in the nation.
But can any of those teams ā and more specific to the Iron Bowl, can Auburn? ā get key stops on defense when they absolutely have to?
Ohio State gave up 35 points to Illinois. Baylor was in a shootout with Texas Tech. Auburn, meanwhile, gave up 21 points in the fourth quarter and looked absolutely lost on defense.
It got so bad in the fourth quarter, itās like we were watching Gene Chizikās Auburn getting gashed on defense and bumbling around on offense. If it werenāt for a miracle Hail Mary ā and Iām not even sure that adequately describes what happened on The Plains ā this would have been an implosion of untold proportions.
Yet even after the prayer of a touchdown from Nick Marshall to Ricardo Louis gave Auburn a 43-38 lead with 25 seconds to play ā and Georgia 75 yards from the end zone ā the game still wasnāt over.
The Bulldogs went 50 yards in two plays, and the game ended with UGA 20 yards from somehow winning the game ā before Auburn got its first defensive stop of the quarter. The one that mattered most.
Thatās not happening in two weeks in the Iron Bowl, especially if the Auburn of the fourth quarter ā the group that nearly botched the biggest win in coach Gus Malzahnās brief career ā shows up in the biggest game of the season.
Yet after all that drama, weāre still left with this: Auburn won for the 10th time this season ā one more win than the nine losses it had last season. Why not take it one more step and win the SEC West Division, knock bitter rival Alabama out of the national title race, end AJ McCarronās Heisman Trophy hopes and send Nick Saban to Texas all in one wild moment?
It canāt be any more miraculous than what happened to Georgia.
-Sporting News' Matt Hayes writes
Because if we can take anything away from Auburnās unreal and unthinkable ā and basically, stolen ā victory over Georgia, itās this: Auburn canāt beat Alabama.
The Auburn team that jumped to a 27-7 lead over Georgia and looked unbeatable could. The Tigers team that finished the game and needed the best play in the history of plays to somehow win a game it had no business winning, can not.
Itās that simple.
Auburn nearly blew a 20-point lead because Auburn canāt do the one thing it must do to beat Alabama: get consistent stops of defense.
Texas A&M scored 42 points on the Tide and couldnāt win. LSU had Alabama on its heels in the third quarter, and was doing whatever it wanted offensively ā and couldnāt win.
Because in both case, when both teams needed to get a stop on defense, they couldnāt get it. Thatās the big misconception with this Alabama team: itās not the defense that gets you, itās the pound it down your throat, relentless offense that breaks your will and keeps the defense fresh enough to eventually make adjustments and take control.
Ohio State can score points in bunches. Baylor can score in seconds. Florida State can do whatever it wants to any defense in the nation.
But can any of those teams ā and more specific to the Iron Bowl, can Auburn? ā get key stops on defense when they absolutely have to?
Ohio State gave up 35 points to Illinois. Baylor was in a shootout with Texas Tech. Auburn, meanwhile, gave up 21 points in the fourth quarter and looked absolutely lost on defense.
It got so bad in the fourth quarter, itās like we were watching Gene Chizikās Auburn getting gashed on defense and bumbling around on offense. If it werenāt for a miracle Hail Mary ā and Iām not even sure that adequately describes what happened on The Plains ā this would have been an implosion of untold proportions.
Yet even after the prayer of a touchdown from Nick Marshall to Ricardo Louis gave Auburn a 43-38 lead with 25 seconds to play ā and Georgia 75 yards from the end zone ā the game still wasnāt over.
The Bulldogs went 50 yards in two plays, and the game ended with UGA 20 yards from somehow winning the game ā before Auburn got its first defensive stop of the quarter. The one that mattered most.
Thatās not happening in two weeks in the Iron Bowl, especially if the Auburn of the fourth quarter ā the group that nearly botched the biggest win in coach Gus Malzahnās brief career ā shows up in the biggest game of the season.
Yet after all that drama, weāre still left with this: Auburn won for the 10th time this season ā one more win than the nine losses it had last season. Why not take it one more step and win the SEC West Division, knock bitter rival Alabama out of the national title race, end AJ McCarronās Heisman Trophy hopes and send Nick Saban to Texas all in one wild moment?
It canāt be any more miraculous than what happened to Georgia.
-Sporting News' Matt Hayes writes
