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Alabama v. Auburn
November 29, 2008

Final Stats: Alabama Wins 36-0 -- 6:01 p.m.

Some final numbers from Alabama's 36-0 shutout of Auburn tonight:

First downs:
AU: 8
UA: 21

Rushing yards:
AU: 57
UA: 234

Passing yards:
AU: 113
UA: 178

Total yards:
AU: 170
UA: 412

Time of Possession:
AU: 24:23
UA: 35:37

John Parker Wilson: 8-of-16, 134 yards, TD
Greg McElroy: 2-of-2, 44 yards, TD

Glen Coffee: 20 carries, 144 yards, TD
Mark Ingram: 15 carries, 64 yards, 2 TD

Nikita Stover: 1 catch, 39 yards, TD
Julio Jones: 3 catches, 36 yards
Marquis Maze: 1 catch, 34 yards, TD

McElroy Takes A Knee, Alabama Wins 36-0 -- 5:56 p.m.

This will be the largest margin of victory in more than 30 years, as Alabama just knocked off Auburn 36-0 to finish its regular season at 12-0, 8-0 in the SEC.

Alabama dominated the second half of the game, scoring 20 points, including three touchdowns off of Auburn fumbles. Alabama's second-team came in late in the fourth quarter and scored on a 34-yard pass from Greg McElroy to Marquis Maze.

Alabama ran for 230 yards, getting 147 and a touchdown from Glen Coffee and 53 and two touchdowns from Mark Ingram.

Second-Team Defense Now In -- 5:52 p.m.

Like the offense did two drives ago, Alabama just pulled its first-team defense out of the game. First, senior Rashad Johnson came off to an ovation, then senior Bobby Greenwood. It's Alabama's second unit now, moving the Auburn running game backwards as the clock drains.

McElroy Drills Maze In End Zone, 36-0 Alabama -- 5:47 p.m.

Greg McElroy just put a 7-point cap on this Iron Bowl with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Marquis Maze down the right sideline to take the roof off of Bryant-Denny Stadium. The score puts Alabama up 36-0 with 2:49 to play.

Alabama has exploded in the second half, scoring 26 points, including three touchdowns off of Auburn fumbles.

Alabama Gets Another Auburn Fumble -- 5:41 p.m.

No second-stringers are in on the Alabama defense, and the first team just did again what it has done twice already: forced and recovered an Auburn fumble. On first down, Kodi Burns hit Mario Fannin on a swing pass, and Fannin was drilled, causing the ball to pop out and bounce around, across the 50. Eventually, Alabama came out of the pile with the ball and takes over again, 1st-and-10 at their own 47, and it'll be Greg McElroy under center for the Tide. Alabama is 2-for-2 on touchdowns after Auburn turnovers.

Up 29, Second String Easing In -- 5:37 p.m.

One by one, Alabama's starters just started coming out of the game. First it was Marlon Davis, then Mike Johnson, then Antoine Caldwell, each to a loud ovation as they jogged to the sidelines between plays. Then, just before third down, John Parker Wilson was swapped for Greg McElroy to the loudest ovation of all. Six minutes are left in the game, and that ought to do it for the Tide's starters on the night. Auburn now has the ball, 1st-and-10 on the 23.

Alabama Piling Up Yards -- 5:29 p.m.

Alabama is pulling away from Auburn on both the scoreboard and the stat sheet. The Tide is up 29-0, and the numbers don't lie: Alabama has outgained Auburn on the ground by almost 100 yards and has thrown for 80 more than the Tigers. The defense has forced two turnovers and seven punts, keeping Auburn out of the red zone all night.

Alabama's ability to sub in its running backs, also, is allowing it to keep fresh legs on the field. Glen Coffee has been out of the game for a while but just came back in and immediately ran for 17 yards, then 12 yards. Coffee now has 147 yards rushing on the night.

Auburn's Offensive Struggles Continue -- 5:13 p.m.

To say Auburn is struggling on offense right now is an understatement--Auburn can't even get the ball out of its own red zone. On the Tigers' last drive, Auburn actually caught the Alabama offense off guard before the first down play, and wide receiver Rod Smith was lined up wide open on his side of the field. Kodi Burns noticed it, but Auburn jumped offsides and was flagged for five yards. Alabama has the ball, up 29-0, as the third quarter draws to a close.

Alabama leads Auburn in every statistical category: first downs (15 to 7), rushing yards (169 to 69), passing yards (134 to 56) and total offense (303 yards to 125 yards).

Tide Running Wild On Auburn, 29-0 -- 5:07 p.m.

Alabama is doing to Auburn what it has done to so many of its opponents this year -- wearing down the defense with the running game. Mark Ingram is the latest culprit, taking over the Tide's last drive and capping it with a 15-yard sprint right up the gut of a tired Auburn defense for the score. Ingram now has 44 yards and two touchdowns, and Alabama is starting to pull away from Auburn, up 29-0 with 2:10 to go in the third quarter.

Alabama Building Momentum -- 5:02 p.m.

What Auburn didn't need after two consecutive turnovers, other than another turnover, was a quick three-and-out, and the Alabama defense just forced one. A shifty return by Javier Arenas gives the ball back to the Tide at the 50, up 22-0.

Ingram Follows Cody Into The Endzone, 23-0 Alabama -- 4:55 p.m.

Alabama now has 12 points off of Auburn turnovers, and 12 in a row. After Auburn's second fumble in as many possessions, the Tide just punched it into the endzone again. This time, Mark Ingram ran it in from 1 yard out behind the block of mammoth defensive lineman Terrency Cody. The drive was set up by a 27-yard swing pass and run from Wilson to Ingram, and a 15-yard pass to Julio Jones that got the ball down to the Auburn 3. Alabama opted to go for two, but the try was unsuccessful, and with 7:35 left in the third quarter, the Tide leads Auburn, 22-0.

Tigers Fumble Again, Cody Gets It -- 4:49 p.m.

Auburn just fumbled the ball right back to Alabama on their side of the 50. Like the first fumble, no one even forced it -- Kodi Burns just dropped the snap and Terrence Cody came up with it. The turnover gives Alabama the ball, up 16-0, at the Auburn 45.

Wilson Hits Stover For 39, 16-0 Alabama -- 4:43 p.m.

Talk about capitalizing on a turnover -- it took Alabama just 12 seconds to put the ball in the end zone after the Brad Lester fumble. John Parker Wilson rolled right and fired the ball to Nikita Stover, who had streaked down the right sideline past his man. Leigh Tiffin's extra point, however, was blocked, and Alabama leads Auburn 16-0 with 13:15 left in the third quarter.

Stover's long touchdown catch is not the first big play he's had against Auburn; two years ago, Stover caught a slant pass from Wilson over the middle and streaked down the field for a long touchdown against the Tigers.

On senior day, Alabama's seniors are coming up big. Wilson has thrown a touchdown, Stover has caught one, Rashad Johnson has broken up a long pass, and Bobby Greenwood has blocked a field goal.

Defense Forces A Turnover -- 4:42 p.m.

After Alabama had to punt on its first drive of the half, the defense just forced a Brad Lester fumble that was recovered at the Auburn 39. Alabama has the ball in great field position now with a chance to pad its lead.

Second Half Underway, Alabama At 20 -- 4:31 p.m.

The second half is underway, with Alabama opening play at its own 20. Mark Ingram is the first tailback to make an appearance for the Tide in the second half, and he splits out wide as Alabama comes out throwing. A quick pass interference on Auburn moves the ball up to the 35.

On Alabama's second play, Coffee crossed the century mark in running, getting five yards that give him 103 on the day.

Halftime Stats, Alabama Leads Auburn 10-0 -- 4:11 p.m.

Rushing numbers:

AU: 49 yards
UA: 106 yards

Passing numbers:

AU: 5-of-14, 47 yards
UA: 5-of-10, 53 yards

Total offense:

AU: 96 total yards
UA: 159 total yards

Individual rushing numbers:

AU: Burns: 16 yards
Fannin: 14 yards
Tate: 12 yards
Lester: 7 yards

UA: Coffee: 11 carries, 98 yards, TD

Greenwood Blocks Field Goal As Time Expires -- 4:08 p.m.

Auburn drove the ball all the way to the Alabama 27 and set up to kick a 40-yard field goal as the second quarter expired, but Alabama busted through the left side of Auburn's protection, and Bobby Greenwood blocked Morgan Hull's attempt. Hull had successfully put the ball through the uprights just moments before, but Tide coach Nick Saban called time out right before the snap and the kick didn't count.

Alabama goes to the locker room up 10-0 on Auburn and will receive to open the second half.

Burns Moving The Ball -- 4:01 p.m.

Now Kodi Burns is starting to do what he does best -- improvise. He's broken two long runs on this drive and completed a pass to get the ball near the Alabama red zone. With 44 seconds to go, Auburn just called its second timeout and faces 2nd-and-7 at the Alabama 29.

Defense Getting It Done -- 3:53 p.m.

Auburn picked up two first downs on its opening drive but has done absolutely nothing with the ball here in the second quarter; the Alabama defense just forced another quick three-and-out, allowing just three yards to Ben Tate on first down and one to Kodi Burns on second. On third down, the Tide blitzed -- as they have done frequently in the first half -- and Burns overthrew Montez Billings to give Alabama the ball back.

One interesting observation is Auburn's apparent choice to forgo letting Burns create with his feet. Usually, Burns is one of the most dangerous runners for the Tigers, topping 150 yards on the ground a couple weeks ago against UT-Martin. Today, however, Burns has ran the ball just once for one yard.

Coffee Continues Strong Running -- 3:46 p.m.

Glen Coffee is close to going over the 100-yard mark in rushing on the day, and there's still 6:49 to go in the first half. Coffee just broke a 14-yard run on second down and is finding holes at the line of scrimmage on almost every play. Auburn's defensive penetration has actually been pretty good, as the Tigers have stuffed a couple of Alabama's runs at the line. With the exception of the long touchdown run, on which Coffee ran 41 yards untouched, Coffee is mostly finding holes that aren't immediately there.

Alabama just punted back to Auburn, and the Tigers have the ball, 1st-and-10 at their own 19 with 6:09 to go in the first half.

Anders Gets To Burns For Long Sack -- 3:41 p.m.

Eryk Anders just brought the house down with a 16-yard sack of Kodi Burns on third down. Anders got to Burns and kept his legs driving, pushing Burns back about 10 yards before wrestling him down. On fourth down, Clinton Durst opted to go with a more conventional punt, skying one to Javier Arenas. Alabama now has the ball and will try to add to its lead, starting 1st-and-10 at the 38.

Coffee Burns The Tigers, 10-0 Alabama -- 3:35 p.m.

He'd gotten close to breaking a long run early in the game so far, and Glen Coffee just did it in a big way, breaking a 41-yard run around the right side of the offensive line for a touchdown. With 11:28 left in the first half, Coffee has nine carries for 81 yards and a score, and Alabama leads Auburn 10-0.

Alabama's drive started after the shanked Auburn punt gave the Tide possession at the 35. A defensive holding penalty moved the ball out 10 yards on the first play, and Coffee's run eventually capped the four-play, 65-yard drive that took only 1:38.

Arenas Makes A Difference Without The Ball -- 3:28 p.m.

Javier Arenas did not play in this game last year, so it's been two years since he's had a chance to play against Auburn. Couple that with the fact that he is coming off one of his best career games as a punt returner, and it's no surprise that Auburn may have chosen to dodge him a bit in the punting game this afternoon. On their first two punts, Tigers' punter Clinton Durst rolled out and kicked a rugby style kick away from Arenas to keep the ball out of hands, but in trying to do it a third time, Durst just shanked it for a 21-yard punt that gives Alabama the ball at the 35.

The Alabama defense is playing disciplined, guarding the roll-outs that Burns likes to create with his feet, and covering the Tigers' receivers tight.

Tiffin Good From 37, Alabama Leads 3-0 -- 3:18 p.m.

Leigh Tiffin just booted a 37-yard field goal as the first quarter expired to give Alabama a 3-0 lead going to the second period. The kick capped a 15-play, 76-yard drive that began at the Tide's 5.

Alabama ends the first quarter with 49 rushing yards and 32 passing yards. The Tigers have 14 rushing yards and 16 passing yards. The Tide leads Auburn 3-0 as we go to the second.

After Spot Challenge, Drive Continues -- 3:14 p.m.

It appeared to the officials that Alabama's Julio Jones had enough forward momentum after a third-down catch to put the Tide within inches of a first down. But when Alabama came out to go for it on fourth, Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville challeneged the spot on the field, as Jones had been driven back after the catch and his forward momentum was stopped. After the review, the ruling on the field held up and the Tide chose again to go for it on fourth. John Parker Wilson then snuck it for a yard and the first down, and Alabama now has the ball, 1st-and-10 at the Auburn 28.

Bama Moves The Ball Out -- 3:07 p.m.

Alabama just overcame its poor early field position, thanks to the running of Glen Coffee, who broke two runs to get the ball out of the Tide's red zone. With the ball near the 30, Alabama immediately rolled out Wilson and threw to the tight end for eight yards before looking to Coffee again -- who broke it for 16 yards out near the 50.

Alabama Inside Its Own 10 Again -- 3:02 p.m.

The Alabama defense just did its job, forcing a quick three-and-out near the 50 and forcing Clinton Durst's second punt of the first quarter, but the Tide offense has its work cut out for itself again, as Durst's punt was downed at the Alabama 5. For the second consecutive time, Alabama will have to start a drive inside its own 10, which could limit their play selection more conservatively until the ball gets moved down the field a bit more.

Tigers Force Quick Punt -- 2:56 p.m.

Though Auburn has only won five of its 11 games, its defense hasn't been the problem as much as its offense, which struggled under the spread formation and switched in the middle of the season. The Tigers' defense, rather, has been pretty stiff under coordinator Paul Rhodes. On Alabama's first drive, the Tide could do nothing -- getting a 1-yard run on first down before an incomplete pass and short quarterback scramble forced the Tide to punt. Auburn will start its second drive on the Alabama side of the 50, at the Tide's 49.

Defense Gets Off The Field -- 2:51 p.m.

As soon as Auburn started looking more to the air, their drive stopped. Nothing doing for the Tigers on three straight plays after a pair of first downs means Alabama gets the ball back now, 1st-and-10 at its own 7, after the Tigers' punt was downed inside the 10.

Alabama, meanwhile, has committed to the run all season long. In foggy and damp conditions, it will be interesting to see if the Tide chooses to pound the ball behind its experienced offensive line or instead look to the air with senior quarterback John Parker Wilson under center.

Auburn Comes Out Running -- 2:48 p.m.

You might not have thought it at the beginning of the season, but Auburn is showing now on their first offensive drive that they are committed to running the football; four of their first five plays were on the ground, and Auburn has now picked up a pair of first downs to move the ball up near the 50.

Coin Toss and Kickoff -- 2:40 p.m.

Captains for Alabama this afternoon are seniors Rashad Johnson, Nick Walker and Antoine Caldwell. Alabama won the toss and bucked its usual trend by deferring to the second half. The Crimson Tide defense will take the field first.

What is undoubtedly one of the coolest moments in Bryant-Denny Stadium history just occured, as former Tide running back Siran Stacy -- who was serving as today's honorary captain -- just ran across the field pumping his arms to fire up the capacity crowd. Stacy's wife and four of his daughters were killed in a car accident last year, and Stacy was put in a coma after the wreck.

Alabama Set To Host Auburn -- 2:15 p.m.

About 30 minutes from kickoff here in Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, and there aren't many empty seats left in the house. That might have something to do with today's opponent for the Crimson Tide: the cross-state Auburn Tigers, who have beaten the Tide six consecutive years, dating back to 2002. Alabama, sitting at a perfect 11-0, has already clinched a spot in next Saturday's SEC Championship, while Auburn needs one of the biggest upsets in the series' history just to earn bowl eligibility.

One quick note about the game broadcast: kickoff has been bumped back 10 minutes due to the Georgia-Georgia Tech game. Because the Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets still have 10 minutes left to go in their game, kickoff in Tuscaloosa will be bumped to at least 2:45 CST.

A couple notes about the game:

-Alabama is relatively healthy, and returns running back Roy Upchurch to the field for the first time in two weeks.

-Left tackle Andre Smith has been named one of three finalists for the Outland Trophy, which goes to the nation's best offensive lineman. The last Tide player to claim the Outland was left tackle Chris Samuels, in 1999. Samuels is currently starting for the Washington Redskins.

-Today is senior day at the Capstone, and a couple former players are dressed out in jerseys and khaki pants, including former defensive end Zeke Knight, offensive lineman BJ Stabler, and tight end Charles Hoke. Alabama is graduating nine scholarship seniors, which is tied for fewest in the country. Two of them, tight ends Nick Walker and Travis McCall, are playing in their 50th game for the Crimson Tide.