Alabama routs Auburn, punches ticket to Atlanta

The ball was kicked, and the game was over…quite literally.

In what can only be described as utter decimation, the Alabama Crimson Tide claimed the 77^th “Iron Bowl” by the score of 49-0. The contest put an end to Auburn’s 3-9 season, and advanced Alabama to the SEC championship game.

Prior to the clash with Auburn, a previous blog post referred to the contest as nothing more than a “pay win” for Alabama, and that is exactly what transpired. Auburn was essentially Western Carolina…part two. For the second straight week Alabama led 42-0 at the half, and for the second straight week Alabama won 49-0. The Crimson Tide, in an “eerie” turn, even went as far as to hold Auburn to 163 total yards…the same amount achieved by Western Carolina.

How lopsided was the game? The Auburn offense garnered seven first downs, while the Alabama offense mounted seven touchdowns. AJ McCarron, in limited action, threw four touchdown passes, while Eddie Lacy ran for two, and T.J. Yeldon rushed for another.

The 49-0 triumph is the second largest margin of victory in “Iron Bowl” history. Alabama’s 55-0 smackdown of Auburn in 1948 still tops the list, but had Nick Saban allowed the starters to play even 10 more minutes of game action, the record would have certainly been broken. Truth be told, the 49-0 victory could have easily been 77-0.

On another note concerning series history, the Auburn offense hasn’t scored a single point since the 2010 meeting in Tuscaloosa. In that contest, Cam Newton led a ferocious Auburn comeback to capture the victory, and eventually propel the Tigers to their first national championship in more than 50 years.

With yesterday’s win, Alabama now leads the all-time series by a count of 42-34-1. The Crimson Tide have won four of the previous five meetings, and two in a row.

>>>Complete stats and scoring summary<<<

Kenny Bell suffers broken leg

The only dark cloud in an otherwise ideal day came in the second quarter of play when wide receiver Kenny Bell suffered a broken tibia while attempting to run block for T.J. Yeldon.

In his postgame press conference, head coach Nick Saban formerly addressed the situation and detailed that Bell’s injury will require surgery (rod insertion) and Bell will be out for five to six weeks.

SEC championship game

While a victory over the hapless Auburn Tigers was essentially a foregone conclusion, the 49-0 "trashing" did cement a trip to Atlanta for the SEC championship game. The Crimson Tide will tangle with the Georgia Bulldogs for not only the SEC title, but a spot in the BCS national championship game.

The Crimson Tide, winners of the SEC Western Division, will compete for the SEC title for the first time since 2009, and will also play someone other than Florida for the first time. Alabama met Florida in the inaugural SEC title game in 1992, then again in 1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2008, and 2009.

Saturday’s meeting between Georgia/Alabama will be the first contest since the infamous “blackout” game in September of 2008. On that night Alabama defeated Georgia 41-30 in a contest that catapulted the Crimson Tide into national title contention.