2015 Iron Bowl: Game Grades, Analysis for Alabama vs. Auburn

The second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide tamed the Auburn Tigers 29-13 to win the 2015 Iron Bowl at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday.

Alabama used a 10-point fourth quarter to pull away from its rival and improve to 11-1. The Crimson Tide will face the Florida Gators in the SEC Championship Game.

Pass Offense: Lane Kiffin kept things simple for Jake Coker, who assembled an efficient game and should have had two touchdowns. Coker finished 17-of-26 for 179 yards, while ArDarius Stewart grabbed seven passes for 79 yards, including this 34-yard score.

Run Offense: Derrick Henry carried the ball a school-record 46 times and scored once, setting a new program mark with 22 touchdowns in a season. The physical running back accumulated a career-best 271 yards. He recorded more first downs on the ground than Auburn managed as a team.

Pass Defense: Maurice Smith and Tim Williams each recorded a sack, and A'Shawn Robinson's presence forced Jeremy Johnson to the ground once. The secondary's lone blemish was a borderline-miraculous touchdown.

Run Defense: Alabama's run defense didn't have a dominant opening half, but that changed during the latter periods. The Crimson Tide surrendered just 91 yards on 37 carries, holding their opponent below the century mark for the 10th time this season.

Special Teams: Adam Griffith was the star of the game. He drilled field goals from 26, 40, 26, 50 and 47 yards out. Although JK Scott tallied 48.3 yards per punt, two resulted in touchbacks, and Auburn used some deception to return the other 21 yards.

Coaching: Kiffin had an outstanding game until 4th-and-1 with less than three minutes remaining. Instead of using Henry as the deep back as Alabama had done all game, Kiffin called a shotgun run that failed and gave Auburn a fighting chance at a comeback. If playing to your strengths fails, so be it.

 

Pass Offense: Jeremy Johnson received the start over an injured Sean White but struggled throughout the game, connecting on 10 of 23 passes for 170 yards. Alabama loaded the box and dared the Tigers to throw, but Johnson didn't take advantage. Granted, Jason Smith had an amazing 77-yard score.

Run Offense: Jovon Robinson raced his way to 53 yards on 12 carries during the first half. However, the coaching staff only gave him two touches after halftime, which was a questionable plan of attack at best. Peyton Barber contributed 29 yards.

Pass Defense: Coker didn't have much trouble picking apart Auburn. Among other issues, the Tigers didn't have any answers when Alabama rolled the pocket.

Run Defense: Auburn's run defense wasn't perfect early on but stood tall, caused an eight-yard loss on 2nd-and-goal from the 1-yard line and forced a field goal. That's where the good things ended. Alabama's 286 rushing yards were the second-most against the Tigers in 2015.

Special Teams: Daniel Carlson buried two field goals to set a school record with his 16th straight made three-pointer, but he missed a 48-yard attempt shortly before halftime that could have evened the score. Kevin Phillips managed 40.4 yards per punt, putting three inside the 'Bama 20.

Coaching: Gus Malzahn shouldn't be on the hot seat, but Auburn needs to make some significant changes on offense. His play-calling has seen better days, and some of the Tigers' personnel choices—for example, not using their best player—were strange.

 

Follow Bleacher Report college football writer David Kenyon on Twitter: @Kenyon19_BR.