Auburn vs. Alabama: Game Grades, Analysis for Tigers and Tide

After a year of watching highlights of Auburn's miraculous victory in the Iron Bowl last year, Nick Saban and No. 1 Alabama got revenge, beating the No. 15 Tigers in a 55-44 shootout in Bryant-Denny Stadium Saturday night.

The Tide had already clinched a spot in the SEC title game by kickoff, thanks to Ole Miss' upset of Mississippi State Saturday afternoon. But with Saban eyeing the top seed in college football's first playoff, he wanted his Alabama team to deliver a message. 

How did the Tide and the Tigers grade out from Saturday's high-scoring affair? 

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	A+	A
Run Offense	A-	B-
Pass Defense	B+	C-
Run Defense	A	D
Special Teams	A	A
Coaching	A	B-

Auburn Tigers Analysis

Pass Offense: Auburn’s strength offensively under Gus Malzahn has been its powerful rushing attack, but the Tigers lit Alabama up through the air Saturday night. Sammie Coates was absolutely untouchable as he went into the halftime break with 153 receiving yards and two touchdowns on just four receptions. The Tigers, led by quarterback Nick Marshall, threw for 252 yards in the first half alone.

It got a bit tougher for the Tigers in the second half, though. Duke Williams whiffed on what would have been an easy touchdown catch in the third quarter, and Marshall threw a crucial interception that set up an easy Alabama touchdown. He still finished with a remarkable, career-high 457 passing yards against a solid Alabama defense.

Run Offense: Marshall and Cameron Artis-Payne led the way during an impressive first-half showing, ripping the Tide defense for 127 yards on the ground. Alabama tightened up in the final two quarters, though, keying in on Artis-Payne, who finished the game with 76 yards (and no touchdowns) on 25 carries, averaging a hair over three yards per carry. After a promising start to the game, the Tigers rushed for just 46 yards in the second half, finishing with 173 total 

Pass Defense: The Auburn defense did a terrific job defending Blake Sims during the game's first 35 minutes. The Tigers came up with two big interceptions in the first half and produced a third to start the third quarter, which helped Gus Malzahn's squad build a 12-point lead. But Sims warmed up, throwing three second-half touchdowns to spark Alabama's rally. The Tide finished with 312 passing yards and four touchdowns through the air, and Sims only threw five incompletions all game. 

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Run Defense: Much like the pass defense, Auburn's front seven was up to the task of stopping Alabama's downhill rushing attack in the first half. The Tigers held the Tide and their loaded backfield to just 49 rushing yards through two quarters, with T.J. Yeldon the only ball-carrier to gain any traction. That changed in a big way in the second half, though, as Alabama surged its way to 178 yards in the final two quarters. 

Special Teams: Special teams was a surprising bright spot for Auburn in the first half, largely because the offense failed to execute in the red zone. Daniel Carlson was a perfect four of four on field goals through two quarters and finished with a perfect outing on five attempts. Corey Grant, Johnathan Ford and Quan Bray combined to average just 20.8 yards on five kickoff returns. 

Coaching: Auburn was aggressive and executed Malzahn's game plan effectively in the first half, but multiple opportunities (and timeouts) were wasted in the red zone on questionable play calls and time management. Still, the Tigers coaching staff had their team outperforming the nation's top squad for the first 35 minutes of the game. That changed dramatically in the second half as Malzahn failed to keep pace with Lane Kiffin and the Tide. 

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	D	B-
Run Offense	D-	A-
Pass Defense	F	D-
Run Defense	D+	B+
Special Teams	C-	C
Coaching	C-	B

Alabama Crimson Tide Analysis

Pass Offense: Blake Sims came into the game with four interceptions on the year, but he nearly matched that number in 35 minutes, as he threw three costly picks against the Tigers. However, it was like a switch was flipped midway through the third quarter, because Sims and the Tide passing attack caught fire and completely took over the game. 

Amari Cooper was incredible, hauling in 13 receptions for 224 yards and three touchdowns. Sims finished with 312 passing yards and four touchdowns alongside the three interceptions, but it was his second-half explosion that helped the Tide overcome the upset-minded Tigers. 

Run Offense: Alabama’s offense had a hard time finding its bearings early, and a lot of that was down to the run game. Yeldon was solid in the first half, running for 59 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries, but the rest of the team combined for negative 10 yards on the ground before the break.

In the second half, Yeldon, Derrick Henry and Co. surged in a big way. The two running backs combined for just 199 total rushing yards and three touchdowns, leading the way for a ground attack that averaged 6.7 yards per carry.

Pass Defense: Alabama came into the game allowing just 198.8 passing yards per game, but the Tigers ripped the Tide’s secondary all night. Marshall was almost flawless in the first half, throwing for 255 yards (202 of which came in the second quarter alone) and two touchdowns. The Tide pulled things together a bit in the second half, and Nick Perry made a huge play at the end of the third quarter, picking Marshall off to set the offense up to retake the lead.

Despite Alabama's second-half adjustments, Auburn's quarterback still managed to set a career high for passing yards.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Run Defense: The Tigers had success moving the ball on the ground in the first half, but that success didn't translate once the team crossed into the red zone. Alabama's defense did a good job of bending but not breaking in the first half, limiting Auburn to four field goals in four trips inside the Tide's 20. 

Saban's squad was particularly stingy in the second half, limiting Marshall and a dangerous ground attack to just 46 yards. The Tigers finished with 173 yards on the ground, which was 93.2 yards shy of their season average.

Special Teams: The night got off to a rough start when Saban called for a pooch kick on the game’s opening kickoff. Adam Griffith ended up kicking it directly out of bounds to set up Auburn up near midfield, which triggered another uneven performance from Alabama's special teams. Christion Jones had a solid night on return duty, but the Tide's offense operated at such a high level that neither Gunnar Raborn nor Griffith attempted a field goal. The Tide did have an extra point blocked, but it was an otherwise uneventful night.

Coaching: Saban, Kiffin and Kirby Smart were completely outdone by Auburn's coaching staff in the first half as Malzahn dictated the pace of play early. After Sims threw his third interception, there was a moment when the Tide had Jacob Coker warming up on the sideline. However, they ended up sticking with their year-long quarterback. That was a decision that payed off handsomely, as Sims triggered the comeback, executing Kiffin's perfectly called second half with precision.

All stats via NCAA.com.