Auburn wins SEC West with 26-14 Iron Bowl victory

Nov. 25, 2017

By Jeff Shearer
AuburnTigers.com

AUBURN, Ala. - For the second time in three weeks, Auburn knocked off No. 1, claiming the SEC Western Division championship with a 26-14 Iron Bowl win.

The Tigers are heading to Atlanta for a rematch with Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. Auburn beat the Bulldogs 40-17 at home on Nov. 11.

Trailing 14-10 after an Alabama touchdown on the opening drive of the second half, Auburn scored the game's final 16 points on touchdown runs by Kerryon Johnson and Jarrett Stidham and Daniel Carlson's second field goal.

Johnson put Auburn ahead to stay with a 1-yard touchdown run with 3:02 left in the third quarter.

Stidham gave Auburn a two-score lead with a 16-yard touchdown run with 12:49 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Auburn's defense did the rest, holding Alabama to 377 yards, including a 65-yard completion on the game's final play. Auburn held Alabama without a third-down conversion until in the fourth quarter.

Stidham and Ryan Davis teamed up 11 times for 139 yards. Stidham completed 21 of 28 passes for 237 yards, adding 51 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.

Auburn scored first, driving 94 yards on 12 plays. Stidham began a streak of five straight completions with a 25-yard completion across midfield to Nate Craig-Myers.

On third-and-2 from the Alabama 3, Johnson's jump pass found Craig-Myers uncovered in the end zone for a 7-0 Auburn lead.

"It was something Chip's been saving," Auubrn coach Gus Malzahn said. "It was wide open."

After Alabama answered with a 36-yard touchdown pass, Auburn regained the lead at the end of the half.

Auburn's defense forced a three-and-out. Stidham hit Ryan Davis on third-and-6 for 23 yards, setting up Daniel Carlson's 33-yard field goal.

"We're going to keep the hammer down," Malzahn said. "That fourth quarter was fun. We're playing our best football right now. We've got to continue to do that."

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @jeff_shearer

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