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No. 2 Alabama stomps Auburn

Nov 25, 2012 - 1:27 AM Tuscaloosa, AL (Sports Network) - A.J. McCarron finished 15-of-21 for 216 yards and four touchdowns, as No. 2 Alabama racked up 42 first-half points en route to a 49-0 demolition of rival Auburn in the 77th Iron Bowl from Bryant- Denny Stadium.

Amari Cooper totaled 109 yards and a pair of scores on five receptions and Kevin Norwood also recorded two TD catches for the Crimson Tide (11-1, 7-1 SEC), who dealt their long-time foes their worst loss in this series since a 55-0 result in December of 1948.

Eddie Lacy racked up 131 yards and two touchdowns on 18 rushes, and T.J. Yeldon posted another score on the ground for Alabama, which claimed bragging in-state rights for the fourth time in five years heading into the SEC title game next weekend against Georgia.

"Georgia has a really good team and is playing really well right now," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "It will be a great opportunity for our players to have a chance to play against a really good team for the SEC Championship."

Jonathan Wallace was limited to 71 yards and was intercepted twice on 5-of-14 efficiency for the Tigers (3-9, 0-8), who dropped six of eight to end the season.

Tre Mason totaled 82 yards on 21 carries and Emory Blake ended with 56 yards on three grabs in a losing cause.

"That was a very disappointing and embarrassing loss to our in-state rivals," Auburn coach Gene Chizik said. "It was obvious to everybody. It was a sad performance and the Auburn fans and the Auburn alumni don't deserve that. We did all the classic things in a football game that you can't do and expect to win. We just got beat. We weren't very efficient offensively, we certainly weren't very efficient defensively and special teams we were very sporadic as well. Again, a very poor performance."

Lacy capped the initial series of the contest with a two-yard scamper, then Yeldon ended the next drive with a two-yard score of his own.

Then, during a series which bled into the second quarter, McCarron lofted a ball over the middle and Cooper ran it in for a 37-yard touchdown and 21-0 game.

Norwood's 7-yard TD reception boosted the Alabama advantage to 28 and Lacy's one-yard touchdown plunge made it 35-0. Mason then had the ball taken away by Nico Johnson, and Dee Milliner recovered and ran 17 yards to the Auburn 35- yard line.

Three plays later, McCarron dumped off to Cooper and he broke free from simultaneous tackle attempts in the middle of the field and rolled into the end zone for a 29-yard score.

McCarron fired a 38-yard touchdown strike to Norwood on the Tide's first drive of the second half and the hosts finally took their foot off the accelerator.

Auburn's second-half possessions consisted of four punts, an interception and time running out on its final set of downs.

Game Notes

Alabama picked up 25 first downs and 483 yards of total offense, to seven first downs and 163 yards for Auburn ... Norwood compiled 65 yards on five receptions and Kenyan Drake finished with 67 yards on 10 carries for the Crimson Tide ... Auburn hadn't gone winless in conference play since 1980, when it was 0-6 in the SEC and finished 5-6 overall ... Alabama wideout Kenny Bell left the game at halftime with an apparent leg injury, which was later downgraded to a broken left leg ... The Crimson Tide blanked the Tigers for the second time since 2007 and have shut out an opponent for the fourth time this season, most since 1979 when Bear Bryant's team posted five whitewashes in a 12-0 season.