TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The second-ranked Auburn Tigers had trailed in seven of their 11 victories this season and overcame double-digit deficits to beat Clemson, South Carolina and Georgia.
Of course, none of those opponents were named Alabama.
And, of course, it didn't matter.
Auburn rallied from a 24-0 deficit and stunned No. 9 Alabama 28-27 in the 75th Iron Bowl here at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday afternoon to remain in national title contention.
Tigers quarterback Cam Newton, the front runner for the Heisman Trophy, again proved that he won't let any off-the-field distractions negatively affect him.
The embattled Newton rallied the undefeated Tigers (12-0 overall, 8-0 SEC) from a seemingly insurmountable double-digit deficit to stun the sellout crowd and snap the Tide's 20-game home win streak.torieslabama (9-3, 5-3) initially overwhelmed its state rival and seemed well on its way to an easy, convincing victory. Wrong. The Tide couldn't sustain their momentum -- Alabama had 379 yards of total offense in the first half, but was held to 67 yards the final 30 minutes -- allowing Newton to work his magic.
Auburn coach Gene Chizik has kept his quarterback off-limits to the media since Nov. 9 and will not address the reports that Newton's father asked Mississippi State for $180,000 when Cam was being recruited.
Instead, Newton has let his actions speak for him.
He accounted for all four of Auburn's touchdowns -- three passing and one rushing. His leap on fourth down-and-one from the Auburn 36 helped the Tigers slice precious digits from the scoreboard clock.
Alabama had one last opportunity, regaining possession at its 19-yard line with 51 seconds remaining. However, the Tide went four-and-out behind backup quarterback A.J. McCarron.
Newton's 7-yard touchdown pass to Philip Lutzenkirchen pushed the Tigers in front for the first time at the 11:55 mark in the fourth quarter.
Auburn outscored Alabama 28-3 over a 23-minute span. Unlike a year ago, the Tigers also were able to stop the Tide during the game's final, pressure-packed minutes.
The Tide also lost senior quarterback Greg McElroy to an injury with 5:36 remaining in the game. McElroy, who eclipsed his career-high passing mark in the second quarter and finished with 377 passing yards, was injured on a sack.
Last year, McElroy directed Alabama 79 yards in 15 plays, slicing more than seven minutes off the clock, for the game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter.
The drive preserved an undefeated season en route to Alabama's 13th national championship.
Friday's outcome, at least for the moment, also will make it more difficult for No. 3 Boise State and No. 4 TCU to wiggle into BCS title contention as the regular season winds down.
It also keeps alive the SEC's chances of extending its streak of national champions to five.
Auburn's defense, specifically its suspect secondary, nearly couldn't recover from McElroy's torrid start.
McElroy completed his first 12 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns. He had 335 passing yards in the first half.
Newton and Auburn's offense, meanwhile, couldn't sustain any momentum. The Tigers were limited to 87 total yards in the first half.
Newton, the first player in SEC history and one of nine different FBS players ever to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a single season, was harassed by the Tide's swarming defense. Yet, he recovered to help keep the Tigers' dream season alive.
The Tigers, No. 2 in the BCS standings, will face South Carolina next Saturday in the SEC championship game in Atlanta. Auburn can lock up a trip to the BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Ariz., with a victory,
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