Alabama-Auburn

I didn't come away from this Iron Bowl with the same sense of awe that it seems everyone else did. It was an incredible Auburn comeback when you look back at the first half, but it unfolded in two distinctly different halves that felt almost like separate games.

In this regard it was more akin to watching two legs of a knockout round in a soccer competition. Alabama comfortably winning the first, Auburn going one better in the second.

The hosts early dominance was astonishing to watch, rolling out to three touchdowns on three drives, QB Greg McElroy completing all ten of his attempted passes.

The Tigers couldn't get started offensively, Alabama's defensive linemen were seemingly all over the field and frequently in the Auburn backfield milliseconds after the snap. Newton was ineffective, using screens and draws to little avail, and Auburn was repeatedly forced to kick the ball back to the Tide.

It wasn't until 6.40 to go in the second quarter that Auburn finally completed a first down pass, and Newton began to look like a potential threat. He looked at his best throughout the game when utilising play action and throwing lazy-looking spirals deep downfield; Bama for the most part keeping his ground game contained.

In contrast, Alabama looked to have the better of Auburn all over the field when the ball was in their hands. Julio Jones and Daryl Hanks showed sure-hands and fought for yards after the catch, whilst Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson provided the formidable running threat.

However, the second half changed dramatically within two plays; Newton lofting another easy pass to Terrell Zachary for a 70 yard touchdown. It was immediately a different encounter, Auburn defensively stepped up, blitzing and sacking McElroy, breaking up passes in their secondary.

Two possessions for Auburn later and they scored again. Driving down the field on the back of Onterio McCalebb runs and catches, Newton powered in from a yard to bring the Tigers within three.

The pendulum of momentum was fully swinging in the visitors favour now, first holding Alabama to a field goal, then driving down the field themselves, converting a crucial 4th down in the process on a gutsy pass play to Darvin Adams.

Again Newton began scurrying to his right, found pressure, shuffled back to his left and lofted the ball back across his body to Philip Lutzenkirchen in the endzone.

It was an impressive turn-around, but it played out with such a matter-of-fact inevitability that it lacked the drama of the Boise-Nevada game that would follow that night.

Newton did what he had to, but this wasn't the eye-catching performance of a Heisman winner. The real story of the game was the second-half improvement by the Auburn defense, a unit that had looked utterly helpless in the opening salvos, to one that was comfortably containing Alabama by the conclusion.