Since the middle of the Iron Bowl’s second quarter, the Auburn Tigers have scored three straight touchdowns to cut the lead to three. QB Cam Newton’s offense is finally clicking, but a pair of defensive players have made an impact of their own. Before Auburn Tigers DE Michael Goggans and DT Mike Blanc entered the game after halftime, every Alabama Crimson Tide drive either resulted in a touchdown or reached the red zone. Since the half, Alabama has punted twice.
Goggans and Blanc were suspended for being thrown out of Auburn’s game against the Georgia Bulldogs. On Bama’s most recent drive, their first three-and-out, Tide QB Greg McElroy took a shot on each play, including a Goggans sack.
One minute into the second half, Auburn QB Cam Newton heaved a 70-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Zachary, who wrestled the ball away from a Bama safety and ran free for the score. The next Auburn drive was an honest-to-gosh drive and not just a breakaway big play. Newton engineered an eight-play, 75-yard drive that concluded with his 18th rushing touchdown of the season, breaking an Auburn record held by Bo Jackson and Cadillac Williams.
Kirby Smart is a touchdown away from going for a long float in Nick Saban’s duck pond.