AUBURN, Ala. – Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe threw a touchdown pass to Isaiah Bond with 32 seconds left to lift the No. 8/8/8 Crimson Tide football team to a 27-24 victory over Auburn Saturday afternoon in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
With the Tide (11-1, 8-0 SEC) trailing 24-20 and facing 4th-and-31, Milroe found Bond for a game-winning 31-yard score to snatch the victory away from the Tigers (6-6, 3-5 SEC).
Alabama used a balanced offensive attack to pile up 451 yards of total offense, including 259 through the air and 192 on the ground. Milroe led the Crimson Tide’s offense with 366 total yards which included 259 on 16-of-24 passing and 107 yards rushing across 18 attempts.
Bond finished the game with a team-leading five catches for 75 yards and a score, while Jermaine Burton had four catches for a team-high 107 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Jalen Key returned to the lineup to lead UA with seven tackles, while Deontae Lawson, also returning from an absence, finished second at five total stops, including one sack (-3 yards). Dallas Turner contributed four tackles, including two for loss and a sack, to go with a quarterback hurry. Lawson and Turner helped the Tide finish with 6.0 TFLs (-41 yards) and four sacks (-28 yards) by day’s end.
Notes
- Alabama’s win was the 19th fourth-quarter victory under head coach Nick Saban.
- Saturday’s Iron Bowl win was the Tide’s 11th of the season. It marks the 27th time in program history that UA has recorded an 11-win season and the 15th under Saban.
- The 2023 campaign also marks the 13th straight season with 11 wins under Saban, the longest streak of its kind in Southeastern Conference history.
- Alabama finished the season a perfect 8-0 in SEC play to mark the sixth perfect conference finish during the Saban era. The Tide also went 8-0 in 2008, 2009, 2016 and 2018 and finished 2020 at 10-0.
- With his nine points on the night (three PATs, two field goals), placekicker Will Reichard is now tied at 530 points with Keenan Reynolds (Navy) for the NCAA career points record.
- Reichard is now second on the Alabama career field goals list with 80. He trails only Leigh Tiffin’s mark of 83.
How it happened
First quarter
- 10:53 – UA | The Crimson Tide struck first when Roydell Williams crossed the goal line from two-yards out capping an eight-play, 69-yard drive in 3:30
- 05:00 – AU | The Tigers answered when Damari Alston found the end zone from four-yards out finishing off a five-play, 68-yard drive lasting 2:14
Second quarter
- 14:09 – UA | Will Reichard converted a 32-yard field goal to finish off a 12-play, 56-yard drive in 5:51
- 02:24 – AU | Ja’Varrius Johnson crossed the goal line from 12-yards out to end a three-play, 88-yard drive that lasted 1:08
- 01:33 – UA | Jalen Milroe connected with Jermaine Burton for a 68-yard receiving touchdown finishing a three-play, 81-yard drive in 0:44
Third quarter
- 09:12 – UA | Alabama opened the second half with a 22-yard field goal from Reichard for the second time today ending a 12-play, 71-yard drive in 5:48
- 06:36 – AU | Payton Thorne connected with Johnson for a 27-yard receiving touchdown finishing off a five-play, 75-yard drive lasting 2:36
Fourth quarter
- 10:15 – AU | Alex McPherson connected on a 21-yard field goal to close out a 16-play, 72-yard drive that took 8:18 off the clock
- 00:32 – UA | Isiah Bond got his foot down for the 31-yard game winning score. His catch from Milroe capped the Tide’s nine-play drive that lasted 4:16
Up next
- Alabama will take on No. 1/1/1 Georgia in the 2023 SEC Championship game which will be played in Atlanta
- The contest will kick off at 3 p.m. CT and be televised by CBS
