Alabama Football: Tide’s report card in Iron Bowl vs. Auburn

How did Alabama football look against Auburn?

Every year, Alabama football is graded by a few measures. First and foremost, they need to win a title. After that, they are judged by how they played against the Auburn Tigers, their in-state rival.

Alabama has not beaten Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium since 2015, meaning that no player on the roster knows what it is like to beat the Tigers at Auburn. In this Iron Bowl, Alabama expected an easier challenge than they usually get.

Still, Alabama has struggled against SEC teams this year. They lost to Texas A&M, and a handful of other games were played within one score. This was Alabama football’s chance to turn things around before facing the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship. Unfortunately for the Tide, they failed to make a statement against the rival.

Still, how did Alabama football look in this year’s Iron Bowl? Here are the grades from the Crimson Tide’s last game of the regular season, where Alabama somehow won a four-overtime game.

Tight Ends: C-

In recent weeks, Alabama has gone against using both tight ends like fans expected them to. Instead, Cameron Latu has been the reliable target. Still, both Latu and Jahleel Billingsley have had issues with drops this year. These drops have ended drives, and a fumble by Latu almost cost Alabama football a game.

Latu had a bad block on a third down in the first quarter, but the tight ends were rarely targeted. They mostly impacted the run game, and plays were rarely made. One of the few bright spots was on a third down near midfield. Another was when Billingsley converted on a fourth down on the final drive.