AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn fans blanketed the field from end zone to end zone just like the last time they got to celebrate a stirring Iron Bowl win.
This time, Jarrett Stidham, Kerryon Johnson and No. 6 Auburn didn't need a miraculous final play to unleash the celebration. It was a build up to the crescendo as the Tigers beat No. 1 Alabama in a dominating 26-14 victory Saturday. Auburn earned a berth in next week's SEC title game vs. No. 7 Georgia.
The Tigers, an afterthought earlier this season, now have their sights set on one of the four playoff spots. And coach Gus Malzahn made it clear his two-loss squad deserves a shot. One of his team's two defeats was at defending national champion Clemson.
"We've got to win next week and that's going to be a handful," Malzahn said of his upcoming rematch with Georgia, which was No. 1 when it lost 40-17 at Auburn on Nov. 11. "I don't know, them experts got it figured out. I don't think anybody else has played two No. 1 teams and a No. [3] team. Put up our schedule against anybody."
Auburn fans covered the field in orange and blue after the final play, creating a scene similar to 2013 when the fourth-ranked Tigers beat No. 1 Alabama on a last-play, 109-yard return of a missed field goal. It resulted in a $250,000 fine from the SEC hours after the game, which was Auburn's biggest margin of victory in the Iron Bowl since winning 49-26 in 1969.
Stidham threw for 237 yards and ran for a fourth-quarter touchdown to set up a rematch with Georgia in the SEC championship game Dec. 2 with a playoff spot almost certainly on the line.
Auburn (10-2, 7-1 SEC) mostly shut down the league's top scoring offense for their second win in three weeks over the top team in the playoff rankings. They won the Western Division a week after dispatching the Bulldogs with similar precision.
The Crimson Tide (11-1, 7-1) made a rare assortment of mistakes for a team that had appeared to be headed toward a shot at a fourth consecutive SEC title and playoff berth.
