Our columnist Jeff Schultz gives his take on the game.
1. Respect for Auburn. I expected the Tigers to get blown out. I considered their win over Georgia to be fortunate — and not over a very good team — and they lost to the highest ranked team (LSU) they played this season by two touchdowns. However, they did beat Texas A&M when the Aggies were ranked No. 7, before their second-half fall. But Auburn did more than just show up Saturday. After seeing Alabama score three touchdowns in a span of seven minutes in the second quarter to take a 21-7 lead, the Tigers rallied to tie the score. After Alabama took the lead on a 99-yard touchdown pass, the Tigers rallied again with a 39-yard touchdown pass from Nick Marshall to Sammie Coates with 32 seconds left. Coach Gus Malzahn, win or lose, has the Tigers believing in themselves in crucial moments. That's a significant turnaround from a year ago.
2. Nick Marshall: What if? Imagine if Marshall had never been thrown out of Georgia and he never had made the transition from defensive back to quarterback. Marshall's exploits this season have been well-documented, and he proved himself as a passer against Georgia two weeks ago. Against Alabama, he proved himself against one of the nation's better defenses. He ran for 99 yards and a touchdown and threw for two more scores.
3. Don't ask Saban about field goals. The Crimson Tide lost this game because of five botched field-goal plays. Cade Foster missed a 44-yarder in the first quarter. He made a 28-yarder in the fourth, but the kick was nullified by a false start. He then missed a 33-yarder, then had a 44-yarder blocked with less than three minutes left, then came the game-ending try. That said, coach Nick Saban could still be second-guessed for his decision with five and a half minutes left when, with a 28-21 lead, he bypassed a 31-yard attempt to go for it on fourth-and-1. T.J. Yeldon was stopped for no gain.
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