Alabama
Auburn
Alabama Football and Derrick Henry Run Past Auburn, 29-13
11/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
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AUBURN, Ala. - University of Alabama running back Derrick Henry rushed for 271 yards and a touchdown on a school-record 46 carries to lead the Crimson Tide (11-1 overall; 7-1 in the Southeastern Conference) to a 29-13 over the Auburn Tigers (6-6 overall; 2-6 in the SEC) Saturday afternoon before a capacity crowd of 87,451 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The victory gave the Crimson Tide the SEC's Western Division title and earned Alabama a berth in the SEC Championship Game against the Florida Gators next Saturday, December 5, in Atlanta's Georgia Dome.
With the game on the line in the final quarter, Henry rushed 19 times for 114 yards in the fourth quarter alone to lead the Tide out of a tense situation in which they were clinging to a 19-13 lead midway through the period. After Alabama took a 22-13 lead on Adam Griffith's fifth field goal of the game with 10:04 left, Henry carried on every Crimson Tide snap the rest of the way, carrying the ball on 14 consecutive plays to close out the game. Henry's totals stand as the third-most rushing yards in a game by any Alabama back, and his yardage is the most ever gained by an Auburn opponent.
In addition to Henry's heroics, Alabama's offense was keyed by an accurate passing performance by quarterback Jake Coker, who completed 17 of 26 attempts for 179 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver ArDarius Stewart caught a game-high eight catches for 81 yards and a score while wideout Calvin Ridley had 90 yards receiving on six catches. Griffith made good on all five field goal attempts in the game, the most by a Tide kicker in four seasons. The Alabama defense permitted only one big play in the game while limiting the explosive Tigers offense to 260 total yards (169 passing, 91 rushing).
Alabama outgained Auburn, 465 to 260, while the Tide rushed for 286 yards and passed for 179. The Tide notched 24 first downs to Auburn's 12, limited the Tigers to 3-of-15 on third downs, and had the ball for 35 minutes, 23 seconds, compared to Auburn's 24:37. Safety Geno Matias-Smith led the Tide with eight tackles and a forced fumble. Linebacker Reuben Foster had six stops, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry, while Tide cornerback Marlon Humphrey had six tackles on the night. Linebacker Reggie Ragland had five stops while directing the Tide defense on the field.
Alabama broke on top early with a field goal to cap its first offensive possession of the game. The Tide marched 48 yards in eight plays to the Auburn 9 where Adam Griffith entered to kick a 26-yard field goal, giving Alabama a 3-0 lead with 11:28 on the clock. Henry carried four times for 36 yards on the march, keying the drive with a 30-yard run to the Auburn 14. Stewart caught three passes for 12 yards on the opening drive. Auburn struck right back, moving 68 yards in nine plays to a 24-yard field goal by Daniel Carlson that tied the game at 3-3 with 7:35 on the clock. Auburn took the lead on its next series, a seven-play, 22-yard drive that stalled at the Tide 27. From there, Carlson entered to kick a 44-yard field goal that gave Auburn a 6-3 lead with 1:49 on the clock. The Tide came right back with a field goal to tie it, this one a 41-yarder by Griffith with 11:47 left to knot the score at 6-6. Henry carried seven times for 51 yards on the 14-play drive that covered 67 yards.
The Tide moved 55 yards in 5 plays to take the lead early in the second quarter, highlighted by a 46-yard pass from Coker to Ridley, who made an outstanding catch in double coverage at the Tiger 5. Alabama settled for a third field goal, this one a 26-yarder by Griffith, for a 9-6 lead with 6:58 left in the half. After an Auburn drive ended in a missed 48-yard field goal with 1:24 left, Alabama moved quickly. ArDarius Stewart made a spectacular leaping catch for a 17-yard gain on the first play, then Henry took a handoff around right tackle for 15 yards to the Auburn 36. After Henry gained three on a rush up the middle, two incompletions forced a 50-yard field goal try by Griffith. Griffith nailed it for his fourth of the half to give the Tide a 12-6 lead with 24 seconds left.
Alabama lengthened its lead late in the third period, moving 85 yards in nine plays to a touchdown on an impressive 34-yard pass from Coker to Stewart with 5:14 on the clock. Under a heavy rush, Coker left the pocket and evaded two rushers before firing a dart on the run to Stewart in the end zone. Griffith's kick gave Alabama a 19-6 lead with 5:14 left in the third quarter. But Auburn retaliated quickly, as quarterback Jeremy Johnson hit wide receiver Jason Smith on a 77-yard touchdown pass on a third and long play in which Smith bobbled the ball twice into the air before hauling it in and racing untouched to the end zone. With the point-after kick by Carlson, Alabama's lead was trimmed to 19-13 with 4:27 left in the third period.
On a first down at the Tide 35, Coker was flushed from the pocket and rushed to the sidelines for a one-yard gain. A 15-yard personal foul was called on Auburn safety Johnathan Ford for a late hit on Coker as he exited the field. Another 15-yard penalty was assessed to Auburn for unsportsmanlike conduct after that play, moving the ball to the Auburn 34. Three plays later, Griffith kicked a 47-yard field goal to give the Tide a 22-13 lead with 10:04 left in the fourth period.
After forcing an Auburn punt, Alabama took over possession with 7:49 left at its own 18. Henry and the Tide offensive line took over from there, beginning with a 16-yard gain on the first play and giving the ball to Henry 14 consecutive times. The first 10 of those plays ended when Henry was stopped on a fourth-and-one play at the Auburn 31 with 2:46 left. After Auburn was stuffed on the next possession, Alabama took over again at the Tiger 34. Henry carried the next four plays, closing it out with a 25-yard burst around right end for the clinching touchdown with 26 seconds left in the game.
Alabama continues its season Saturday, Dec. 5, in the 2015 SEC Championship Game against the Florida Gators. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. Eastern Time in Atlanta (3 p.m. Central Time) and the game will be televised by CBS Sports.
Alabama won the coin toss and deferred its option to the second half. Auburn chose to receive the opening kickoff. The Tigers went three-and-out on the opening possession, highlighted by a pass breakup by Tide freshman defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick on third down. The Crimson Tide offense set up at its own 43 after a 35-yard punt that was fair caught by Cyrus Jones.
Alabama senior quarterback Jake Coker connected with sophomore wide receiver ArDarius Stewart on consecutive plays to pick up Alabama's initial first down of the game. Two plays later, junior running back Derrick Henry broke off a 30-yard run after making a nice cut in the backfield. That moved the ball to the Auburn 14, but the Tigers' defense was able to keep the Tide out of the end zone, forcing a 26-yard field goal attempt by junior kicker Adam Griffith. The kick was good, giving Alabama a 3-0 advantage with 11:28 to play in the opening quarter.
Auburn responded on offense behind its fast-paced rushing attack. Running back Jovon Robinson gained 22 yards on two carries, and then quarterback Jeremy Johnson used play action before finding Peyton Barber open for 28 yards. The Tigers converted another first down to reach the red zone, but had to settle for a short field goal. Daniel Carlson knocked a 24-yard kick through the uprights, and the game was tied at 3-3 midway through the quarter.
The Tide offense went three-and-out on its next drive, hampered by an offensive pass interference call on third down that negated a completion to senior wide out Richard Mullaney. Auburn took over at the Tide 49 following a punt return of 20 yards. A rollout pass from Johnson to Robinson netted 20 yards on third-and-6 to extend the drive, but lost five yards from there. Carlson came back out, this time for an attempt from 44 yards, which was good to move the Tigers ahead, 6-3, with 1:49 left.
The quarter ran out with Alabama in possession of the ball and a first down at its own 37 after a couple of runs by Henry
Score: Auburn 6, Alabama 3.
Henry took over as the second quarter began, amassing 38 yards on five rushes. However, the promising Alabama drive stalled. On third-and-5 from the Tigers 23, Coker could not connect with Ridley. Griffith was good from 40 yards out to tie the game less than four minutes into the quarter.
Alabama's defense got back on track on the next possession, stopping Auburn's rushing attack and holding wide receiver Melvin Ray short on a reception on third-and-9. The Tide offense got the ball back at the Tide 36, and Coker looked for a big play on first down, using play action to buy time for a deep ball. Everything was covered downfield, and Coker dumped a pass off to freshman receiver Calvin Ridley, who avoided the first tackler to pick up a first down. On the next play, Coker went back to play action, this time airing out a pass that Ridley was able to haul in for 46 yards at the Auburn 5. Henry powered forward to the 1 on first-and-goal, but was stacked up on second down and tried to break it outside, resulting in a loss of eight yards. Coker misfired on third down, but Griffith salvaged the drive with this third field goal of the game, this one from 26 yards out. His kick gave the Tide the lead once again, this time at 9-6 with just under 7:00 to play in the first half.
The Tigers put together a 13-play drive that saw every yard gained come from a running play. The drive totaled 44 yards, 26 on the legs of Robinson, and drained 5:34 off the game clock. On third-and-2 from the Alabama 31, Auburn elected to go for a big play through the air, but the pass was broken up by senior defensive back Cyrus Jones in the end zone. Carlson then attempted a field goal from 48 yards, but pulled it wide right.
With just over a minute remaining in the half, the Tide got the ball at its own 32 thanks to the missed field goal. Coker and Stewart combined for a 17-yard gain on the first play, which was followed by a rush of 17 yards by Henry. Facing a second-and-7 at the Auburn 33, Coker dropped a perfect pass into the arms of Stewart, who was open in the end zone. However, as Stewart was going to the ground, he bobbled the ball and could not control it, resulting in an incomplete pass. Coker's pass on third down was nearly intercepted, but fell harmlessly to the turf. Griffith was called on for his longest field goal attempt of the game, a 50-yarder, and was true for the fourth time in the opening 30 minutes of play. That moved Alabama's advantage to 12-6, where it stood going into halftime.
Score: Alabama 12, Auburn 6.
Alabama's offense took the field first coming out of the locker room, but could not add to the lead. Henry picked up one first down on a run of 12 yards, but that was all the drive produced. Sophomore JK Scott's punt went into the end zone, giving the Tigers the ball at the 20 for their first possession of the second half. Auburn also struggled to get going offensively, as Ricardo Louis converted a first down with a rush of 14 yards, but punted the ball back to the Tide after that.
Beginning at the 15, Henry opened the drive with consecutive carries for a total of 15 yards. Coker then misfired on a pass to Stewart, but hit Ridley for 14 yards on the next play. Two plays later, Alabama faced a third-and-8 from its own 46. Coker dropped back to pass but was quickly under heavy pressure. He scrambled in the backfield, was nearly sacked, but managed to keep his balance and avoid a tackler, eventually getting up the field for a gain of seven yards. That play brought up a fourth down needing less than a yard for a first down, and the Tide offense stayed on the field. Henry got the call, outrunning a defender to the sideline for a gain of two yards. Auburn was penalized on the play for having 12 players on the field, giving the Tide a first down. After a completion of six yards to Ridley, Coker again kept a play alive with his feet, this time eluding two potential tacklers in the backfield before launching a strike on the run to an open Stewart in the end zone for a 34-yard touchdown reception. The scoring drive covered 85 yards in 10 plays, taking 4:47 off the clock and giving Alabama a 19-6 lead.
Auburn, in need of a scoring response, got it via a tipped pass on third-and-12 from its own 23. Johnson threw deep over the middle in heavy traffic, attempting to connect with receiver Jason Smith. Smith tipped the ball twice, the second sending the ball over the heads of two Tide defenders, allowing him to get under the ball on the run just across midfield. He easily took the ball the rest of the way for the touchdown, and quickly the Tigers were back within one score at 19-13 with 4:27 still to play in the quarter.
Coker found Ridley for five yards on third-and-3 to avoid a three-and-out, before Henry picked up another first down, but a false start on the next first down play put Alabama behind the chains. It was a mistake that the offense could not overcome, and Scott punted the ball away to Auburn for a touchback on the final play of the quarter.
Score: Alabama 19, Auburn 13.
On the first play of the fourth period, Johnson floated a pass to Louis for 24 yards off of play action on the first play of the Tigers' drive, but misfired on his next two attempts. On third-and-10, the Tide brought a blitz that Johnson was able to avoid initially, but as he tried to set his feet and throw, he slipped and went down for a loss of nine yards.
Three consecutive carries by Henry started off Alabama's next offensive drive, as he gained seven yards on third-and-1 for a first down. Coker then looked to produce another big play through the air, but again was forced to pull down the ball and scramble. He picked up one yard on the play, but as he reached the sideline, was hit late by an Auburn defender, adding 15 yards. After the play, an unsportsmanlike penalty was issued to the Tigers bench, tacking on another 15 yards. That moved the ball from the Alabama 36 all the way to the Auburn 34. The Tigers defense prevented any further damage by hold the Tide, but Griffith drilled his fifth field goal of the game, this one from 47 yards away, to extend the lead to 22-13 with 10:04 to play.
Auburn received a first down via penalty when the Alabama defense was penalized for a personal foul on running back Roc Thomas. The Tigers gained zero yards on the next two plays and, on third down, junior linebacker Tim Williams came up with a sack of Johnson for a loss of nine yards. Facing fourth-and-19, Auburn was forced to punt.
Looking to shorten the game with a time-consuming drive, the Tide turned to Henry, who broke off a 16-yard run on the first play. The junior would carry the ball on all 10 plays (for 51 yards) of the drive, but on fourth-and-1 from the Auburn 31 was held just short of a first down. The drive effectively burned 5:03 off the clock and covered 51 yards.
Johnson completed a short pass on first down that gained three yards, but was incomplete on his next three attempts, including drops on both third and fourth down to turn the ball over on downs. Alabama took over at the Auburn 34 with just over two minutes remaining, and it was all Henry once again. He recorded four more carries, the fourth of which he broke loose for a touchdown on fourth-and-1 from the 25 yard line with only 26 seconds remaining in the game.
Score: Alabama 29, Auburn 13.
