Tigers of the Game: Auburn falls to Alabama 24-22 in overtime

Auburn nearly pulled off a stunning upset.

For the first time ever, the Iron Bowl needed overtime to determine a winner. Ultimately, Auburn was unable to pull off the upset, falling 24-22 to Alabama.

Auburn led 10-0 going into the fourth quarter but the defense ran out of gas and Alabama scored on a last-minute drive to force overtime. In the fourth overtime, Auburn failed their 2-point conversion and Alabama completed theirs for the victory.

Here are the Tigers of the Game from yet another classic showdown in this storied rivalry.

Offense: T.J. Finley

Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

Auburn’s offense struggled to move the ball, but Finley showed his guts, he was clearly struggling to move but stayed in the game and completed several big throws. His final stat line of 17 of 26 for 137 yards, two touchdowns and an interception is not great but his ability to stay on the field was impressive and his performance was impressive.

Defense: Derick Hall

Gary Cosby / USA TODAY NETWORK

Hall was a disruptive force for Auburn’s defense, he finished with 3.0 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss but seemed to be in the backfield every play. Auburn needed to pressure Bryce Young to slow down Alabama’s offense and Hall was a major reason why they got the pressure they needed.

Special Teams: Oscar Chapman

Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

In a game where field position was critical, Chapman helped keep Alabama pinned deep in their own territory. He had five punts downed inside the 20 and should have had a sixth. He averaged 42.7 yards on his 10 punts and had two punts over 50 yards. With Auburn’s offense unable to get anything going most of the game Chapman made sure Alabama did not have great field position.

Honorable mention: Roger McCreary

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

McCreary showed just why he deserves to be a first round pick. He had a tough matchup against a loaded Alabama receiving core and won more than his fair share of the battles. He ended up breaking up four passes and making seven tackles.

1

1