Alabama Football: Ranking the 5 best Iron Bowl games of the Saban era

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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AUBURN, AL – NOVEMBER 28: Derrick Henry #2 of the Alabama Crimson Tide rushes against Carlton Davis #18 and Kris Frost #17 of the Auburn Tigers (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

3. 2015

Alabama 29, Auburn 13

This game had so many tiny storylines that people forget about. It was must-win for Alabama as they had already lost a game that season. Auburn went into it with a 6-5 record, but they wholeheartedly believed that they could upset the Tide. The only thing they upset was Derrick Henry, who had an absolute monster game.

Jake Coker did very little in this game, but he did what was needed. His best play was undoubtedly his scramble touchdown to ArDarius Stewart. Coker shed multiple tacklers before throwing a beautiful deep ball into the end zone for Stewart to catch. The ball traveled over 45 yards despite it being counted as a 34-yard touchdown.

Adam Griffith also got his redemption in this game. He went 5 for 5 on field goals with a 50-yard make included. However, none of these moments are why we remember this game. It’s because of Derrick Henry.

It is no exaggeration to say that Derrick Henry won the Heisman with his performance in this game. He only scored one touchdown, but he set an Iron Bowl record with 46 carries and 271 rushing yards. He was just too big to bring down, averaging nearly 6 yards a carry and dictating the pace of this game.

What people forget about this game is how tough it was for Alabama to win. They only had a 6-point lead with ten minutes left in the game. However, the Tide felt as if they had complete control of the game.