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Auburn continues 'Iron Bowl' dominance with stifling defense

Nov 25, 2007 - 6:09 AM AUBURN, Alabama (Ticker) -- Auburn may not be finishing the season at the top of the rankings, but at least they still dominate the state of Alabama.

The 25th-ranked Tigers allowed just 223 yards en route to a punishing 17-10 victory over Alabama in the annual "Iron Bowl."

Senior quarterback Brandon Cox put the finishing touches on the game with a rushing touchdown late in the fourth quarter to become just the second quarterback in the history of the rivalry to preside over three straight victories.

"We tried to score that touchdown all second half and we knew that if we put one in there, it would put our defense in a lot better situation and probably win us the game," Cox said. "We got a good punt return that put us in good position and we found the end zone. Our defense came back on the field after that and was huge. They won us back the ball and we were able to just run it out from there."

"What can you say about Brandon Cox?" Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said. "He is a kid who has never lost to Alabama. He came in here and struggled very early in his career as a freshman and went home. He came back and to go out tonight and do what he did ... it wasn't pretty, but he got the job done."

Auburn (8-4, 5-3 SEC West) has now won six in a row in the series, with Alabama still holding the overall lead at 38-33-1.

Tigers defensive coordinator Will Muschamp worked under Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban at LSU and then with the Miami Dolphins and seemed to have an answer for everything his mentor threw at him.

"This is a great rivalry, a great football game and I have never been involved in a football game with as much excitement and enthusiasm as this game," Saban said. "It's disappointing for our fans and the people that support our program that we weren't able to do a better job and come away with a win. But more than anything I am disappointed for our players. I think our players played their hearts out and really wanted to win this game. There are a lot of upset guys in there right now. As a coach you feel like there is something you wish you could have done that would help them be more successful."

Auburn yielded just one touchdown drive, forced a fumble and an interception and held Alabama (6-6, 4-4 West) to just 2-of-15 on third down conversions in the contest.

"It was a typical Iron Bowl." Tuberville said. "There was a lot of defense. There was a lot of hard hitting. You had guys on both sides playing hard. We knew we would get a good shot from them after not playing very well last week. We knew we would get a good shot from them.

"They played well. They did a good job coaching. They did some things that kept us confused, but that's what this game is about. It all comes down to who wins in the trenches and we had a lot of guys that played hard."

The Tigers jumped on top early when Ben Tate capped a 12-play drive with a three-yard touchdown run at the 8:13 mark in the opening quarter. After forcing a punt on the Crimson Tide's ensuing possession, Auburn drove for a field goal and a 10-0 lead before the end of the opening quarter.

"Ben Tate had a really good night," Tuberville said. "All the running backs ran hard. When you talk about this game, you talk about being physical and it all starts with the offensive line, but your running backs have to get yards after contact. It was a super, super game by the running backs breaking tackles and getting extra yards."

Alabama managed a rushing touchdown in the second quarter by quarterback John Parker Wilson, and kept their hopes alive with a 49-yard field goal with 2:16 remaining in the game. But an on-sides kick failed and the Tigers ran out the clock to secure the win.

The Crimson Tide lost for the ninth straight time in the month of November and have dropped 14 of their last 17 in the season's final month. They lost last week to lowly Louisiana-Monroe and have not won since squandering a fourth-quarter lead against then-top ranked LSU.

"We were 6-2 at one point and we felt like things were going pretty well, but then it just seemed like things stopped working and we ended up losing four in a row," Wilson said. "It is something that we are all going to have to work on for next year. We are going to have to get better in every aspect of the game."

The win locks up second place in the SEC West for the Tigers.