Alabama Football: Would the Second-Half Rout Continue or Would Auburn Respond?

Larry Burton (Syndicated Writer)

Auburn would need something dramatic to get the hearts going on a team that had been thoroughly stomped for the first 30 minutes of the game, and they got it on a sizzling 70-yard kickoff return by Cody Parkey—the first kickoff return for a touchdown this year.

Would Alabama's offense now take over and resume the Auburn stomping?

After two short passing completions, the Tide converted a first down and then Richardson ripped off a 36-yard run for yet another first down.

After a short pass to Maze, Richardson simply ran over the Auburn defense for another first down.

Now in the red zone, a short Richardson run on first down followed by a delay of game call put the ball back outside the 10 for 2nd-and-12. A short run by Richardson left a 3rd-and-long and a short wide receiver screen to Maze didn't convert, but Shelly got the three, and Alabama went up 27-14.

Here, Auburn is with less than 35 yards of total offense and just one first down, yet they are still in this game with 14 points.

Alabama's season-long problem with special teams reared its ugly head again.

But when Auburn got the ball back, they ran with Frazier short, passed short and on 3rd-and-4, got two-and-a-half.

Auburn may have been considering a fake field goal and when Bama lined up to defend the fake, Auburn called a time out. They decided instead to go for it in the traditional way, and Micheal Dyer did in fact get their second first down.

Then came disaster.

A bad pitch caused Auburn to lose 10 yards, and one of Malzahn's school yard plays, a double pass, failed to fool anyone, and on 3rd-and-20, they got a delay-of-game penalty before meekly throwing away the ball on 3rd-and-25.

Alabama's special teams continued their ugly streak as Saban had to call a timeout because there were 12 Alabama players on the field on fourth down.

Auburn special teams on the other hand, was the only thing in Auburn blue that was special. Besides the great kick return for a score, they downed a punt inside in the five on a brilliant play.

With the ball, Alabama ran two conservative short running plays with Richardson to bring up a 3rd-and-3, and on the next play, he only got two to bring out the punter for only the second time in the game.

With 3:13 left, Auburn was in line to at least claim that they won the third quarter 7-3.

Following the punt, Dyer ran for six, then for two more and on 3rd-and-2, they came up one-half yard short on a run. Chizik went for it again on fourth down, but not before having to call a timeout because they couldn't get the play off in time.

They didn't make it. It was an entirely fitting symbol of how the Auburn offense simply sucked all day.

Alabama got the ball and after two short runs from Richardson, on a 3rd-and-5, Barrett Jones lined up on the wrong side of the ball and forced Alabama to take a time out to avoid a delay-of-game penalty.

McCarron then threw his first bad ball of the day, and Alabama's punter came out for the second series in a row.

The third quarter ended, and it was not a good one for the Crimson Tide. The offense had cooled off, Auburn scored on the first play of the second half with a great special team kick return and were still hanging around in a position to get back in the game.

It was everything Nick Saban had warned the team about at halftime.

Auburn had just 44 yards total offense, and yet, here they were, down by just 13 points.

Malzahn decided to go for a deep pass on first down, and Dre Kirkpatrick dropped a chance for an interception. On second down, Moseley missed a wide open receiver, and on third down, he finally threw the interception he should have gotten the first play.

Dee Milliner took it to the house, and Alabama caught Auburn so flat-footed on a two-point conversion that they simply looked foolish.

Now up 35-14, the fans in Jordan-Haire in Auburn attire started looking for the exits and the fourth quarter had just begun.

Auburn took over on the 40, and Kyle Frazier ran it for 12 for the third first down of the day. However, he followed that up with a run for just three, and Mason ran for two. On 3rd-and-5, a short pass got them their fourth first down.

McCalleb had a good run followed by another by Dyer, and Auburn seemed to have something going for the first time in the game, stringing three first downs together.

A throw-back pass to Lutzenkirchen got yet another first down but could be the last catch for the big tight end as he took a helmet right to the knee in a blow that somersaulted him out of bounds.

With the ball on the 10-yard line, would the Tide rise and keep their no touchdown allowed mark to be blemished?

A short run by Dyer set up a 2nd-and-goal at the five and on second down, he got absolutely nothing. Auburn was sure to be in four-down territory, and on third down, Courtney Upshaw slapped Fraiser to the ground as he ran by. On fourth down, not even holding could keep the Tide from dragging down Mosely and the good yardage gained by Auburn's offense on this one drive all went for naught.

With the ball on the 10, Alabama took over the ball with three goals for this drive, run the clock, protect the ball and destroy Auburn's morale after the sign of life from the Auburn offense.

The first run by Richardson for 13 yards stated all that off just as Saban had hoped. On his 36th carry, he added four more yards but his 37th carry could have won him the Heisman as he not only ran for 57 yards but did so simply slapping Auburn players out of the way like red-headed step children.

It was significant that this play demonstrated how not only Richardson, but the whole Alabama team slapped the Auburn players away at will.

A good run by Lacy was followed by an even better one by third-string running back Jalston Fowler, who simply ran and bulled his way past Auburn's defense for a score that now made the game finally look like the blowout on the scoreboard that it had been on the field all day long.

The only question now as Auburn fans were pouring faster from the stadium than water did into the Titanic was would Auburn end the last six minutes of the game with any kind of pride at all?

With the ball at the 21, Dyer ran for a yard, a screen pass went for five, and on third down, McCalleb did in fact convert against the Alabama defense.

Auburn had no intention of stopping the clock, and Alabama was content to let them run for short yardage and continue the ticking of the clock.

With yet another forth down, this time 4th-and-2, Auburn converted yet again, but the clock just kept running.

The Las Vegas line was 21, the Tide was leading by 28 and they wanted to make a statement so the defense appeared to tighten up once the ball got near the 30, and after three big stops, they forced a fumble to keep the margin of victory at 28.

It was the butt kicking that the players, staff and fans all wanted. It gave the voters no reason to move anyone up near Alabama's second-place status, and the BCS Championship was now in hand.