Auburn vs. Alabama: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2014 Iron Bowl

The No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide avenged their heartbreaking 2013 loss to hated rival Auburn, outscoring the 15th-ranked Tigers 34-18 in the second half en route to a 55-44 Iron Bowl victory in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Saturday night.

Keeping up with how many records went down tonight was almost as difficult as counting the team's combined offensive output. The 99 points are the most ever in the historic rivalry, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Alabama also tied a school record for most points scored against Auburn, per ESPN.com's Brett McMurphy:

Amari Cooper was brilliant, making a last-ditch effort to impress the Heisman Trophy voters. The Crimson Tide star broke the old mark for most receiving yards in the Iron Bowl, finishing with 13 receptions for 224 yards and three touchdowns, as noted by the SEC Network:

Quarterback Blake Sims and running back T.J. Yeldon overcame somewhat slow starts to the game to help propel 'Bama forward in the second half. Sims went 20-of-27 through the air with 312 yards and four touchdowns. Yeldon eclipsed the century mark for the fourth time this year, running for 127 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.

Nick Marshall and Sammie Coates did their best to help the Tigers keep pace with the Tide.

While Marshall regressed a bit as the game went on, he still managed to set the school record for most passing yards in a game:

Coates was by far Auburn's best offensive weapon, amassing 206 yards and two touchdowns on just five receptions. The battle between Coates and Cooper was alone worth the price of admission.

Between all of the points, lead changes and momentum swings, this will be remembered as one of the best games this year.

The Iron Bowl has become one of, if not the most important regular-season contest of the season. Over the last five years, the stakes have been consistently high. According to ESPN, the last five winners went to the national championship game, with four winning it all:

Alabama didn't play the perfect game and was far from its best. However, the Crimson Tide rebounded from a brutal second quarter and proved why they're arguably the best team in college football right now.

The beauty of the 2014 Iron Bowl was how the game unfolded, with each team looking great for stretches before ceding the advantage.

Early on, Alabama was in the driver's seat.

On the very first play from scrimmage, Marshall attempted a screen to freshman running back Roc Thomas. Thomas couldn't haul in the throw, which was actually a backward pass. Alabama recovered the ball on the Auburn 35-yard line.

The Tide needed all of five plays to get on the board, with Yeldon punching it in from eight yards out:

The Tigers responded well, using Cameron Artis-Payne to methodically move the ball down the field. Eventually, Auburn got down to the Alabama 6-yard line to set up a 1st-and-goal. The offense stalled close to the goal line, failing to get in the end zone and burning a timeout in the process. It was a poor finish to an otherwise great drive.

All things considered, the start could've been much worse for Auburn:

Plus, the Tigers hadn't scored in the first quarter on the road against Alabama since 2002:

Alabama wasted little time increasing its lead, going ahead 14-3 with 6:17 remaining in the first quarter after a 17-yard touchdown pass to Cooper. In the process, the junior broke his old record for most receiving TDs in one season:

On the next drive, the Auburn offense once again looked great right until it got near the goal line. Marshall kept the drive alive with a fourth-down conversion, getting the ball to the Tide's 7-yard line. After three incompletions, the Tigers once again called upon Daniel Carlson, who made a 24-yard field goal to get his team to within a score, 14-6.

About four minutes into the second quarter, Carlson nailed his third field goal of the game, closing the gap to five points, 14-9.

From that point on, the Auburn offense was almost unrecognizable—in a good way—and Coates was a big reason why.

The Tigers capitalized on a Sims interception immediately after the field goal. Senior defensive back Jermaine Whitehead picked off a throw from the Tide QB and returned the ball to the Alabama 32-yard line, giving Auburn great field position.

After Marshall lost two yards on first down, he found Coates for a 34-yard touchdown connection on second down, and the Tigers took their first lead of the game, 16-14. CBSSports.com's Jon Solomon solved the riddle of the Auburn offense: Don't get into the red zone:

Yeldon put the Crimson Tide back on top, 21-16, with a one-yard touchdown run, but Coates wasn't done.

Two plays after Yeldon's TD, Marshall and Coates connected for a massive 68-yard touchdown pass 54 seconds from halftime, again propelling Auburn into the lead, 23-21.

The speed Coates demonstrated to break away from the Tide secondary was next-level stuff. ESPN.com's Mitch Sherman believes an NFL career is in Coates' future:

Some have questioned Marshall's merits as a passer in the past. Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman correctly noted that the senior runs hot and cold, and when he's hot, few QBs in the country are better:

The offensive flurry wasn't over, either. Tigers defensive back Johnathan Ford intercepted Sims on the second play of Alabama's subsequent drive, leaving Auburn with 37 seconds to put a few more points on the board.

Carlson came on to hit a 20-yard field goal as time expired in the first half, sending the Tigers into the locker room with a 26-21 advantage.

Auburn outgained Alabama 383-178 in the first half, which were the most yards allowed by the Tide since Nick Saban took over:

Coates also made history, catching four passes for 153 yards and two TDs. He needed all of two quarters to set an albeit brief Iron Bowl record for most receiving yards, per AL.com's Brandon Marcello:

Marshall was marvelous early on, heading into halftime 11-of-18 for 255 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 48 yards rushing to keep the Alabama defense guessing.

Speaking of defense, the Tigers did a great job of limiting the Crimson Tide running game. While Yeldon had 59 yards on eight carries in the half, the rest of the 'Bama offense combined to have minus-10 yards. That, in turn, heaped more pressure on Sims' shoulders, and he made two major mistakes.

Saban kept his first-half assessment short:

And just when the Tide head coach thought things couldn't get any worse, Sims threw another interception on the first drive of the second half. No QB at Alabama in Saban's tenure had ever thrown three picks before Saturday night:

As ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel pointed out, Sims' struggles were very much in contrast to his performance throughout the regular season:

Auburn made the most of the turnover, with Marshall finding Quan Bray for a five-yard touchdown pass, making it a 33-21 game.

Some wondered if Alabama might consider benching Sims after his third interception in favor of Jacob Coker, and Coker was shown warming up on the sidelines.

Not only did Saban and offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin keep Sims in the game, they also continued airing it out. The strategy paid off, with Cooper getting in behind the Auburn secondary and hauling in a 39-yard touchdown pass to shrink Auburn's lead to six points, 33-27.

The Tigers maintained a healthy nine-point lead, 36-27, after Carlson's fifth field goal of the game.

Auburn's momentum was short-lived, however, as Cooper scored on Alabama's very next play from scrimmage, going 75 yards for the touchdown:

By that point, the Crimson Tide were clearly the side in the ascendancy, and it was only a matter of time before they took the lead. Completing his second-half metamorphosis, Sims provided the go-ahead score 27 seconds into the fourth quarter, scrambling 11 yards to the corner of the end zone.

On the other side, CBSSports.com's Jerry Hinnen noticed a disturbing trend for the Auburn defense:

Senior wide receiver DeAndrew White added to 'Bama's lead, 48-36, on a six-yard touchdown reception with 8:05 left to play, and a 25-yard TD run from Henry inside four minutes helped put the game out of reach.

While losing to the Tide is always a bitter pill to swallow, the defeat doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things for Auburn. The Tigers weren't going to the playoff even with a win, and Alabama had already secured a place in the SEC title game. The Tigers might've lost out on one of the selection committee bowl games, which would be a disappointment.

Alabama's playoff push remains on track. The Tide will almost certainly remain the top-ranked team in the playoff rankings, with a conference title locking up a spot in the Sugar Bowl.

They play Missouri in the SEC Championship Game, which is scheduled for next Saturday at 4 p.m. ET in Atlanta.