It was an Iron Bowl finish for the ages, but No. 8 Alabama’s overall performance Saturday left a lot to be desired. The Crimson Tide nearly let an average Auburn team pull up a season-crushing upset before escaping Jordan-Hare Stadium with a 27-24 victory.

Jalen Milroe became a hero, and Alabama kept its playoff hopes alive. However, there’s plenty to fix heading into next weekend’s SEC Championship Game against No. 1 Georgia.

With that in mind, here’s how each of Alabama’s position groups graded out in the Iron Bowl.

An S for savior might be more fitting for Jalen Milroe. Without him, Alabama’s dreams of returning to the College Football Playoff would be dead. Milroe’s 31-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal will go down as one of the top plays in Iron Bowl history. It was one of many clutch moments from the redshirt sophomore on the afternoon.

Milroe’s 19-yard scramble on third-and-20 helped set up a makeable fourth-down conversion on Alabama’s game-winning drive. He also helped pick up a pair of third downs with his legs earlier in the game and completed a 33-yard pass to Malik Benson on third-and-17 to set up the Tide’s opening touchdown.

In total, Milroe accounted for 366 total yards and two touchdowns without turning the ball over on the road. That’ would have earned high marks on its own. Throw in the clutch plays, and this is an easy A.

Nick Saban defines an explosive run as one that results in 12 or more yards. Milroe had three of those against Auburn, but Alabama’s backs didn’t have any. Still, the unit put up a solid performance and picked up first downs in key situations.

Jase McClellan led the backfield with 66 yards on 15 carries. Eight of those attempts went for 5 or more yards, helping Alabama set up favorable second- and third-down attempts. Meanwhile, Roydell Williams picked up 30 yards and a touchdown on eight touches. He gets extra points for moving the chains on fourth-and-1 on Alabama's game-winning drive.

It’s hard to ask for much more from Alabama’s wide receivers and tight ends. The two position groups tallied 15 receptions for 251 yards and a pair of touchdowns with no drops and provided a few nice blocks in the running game. The only knock came on tight end C.J. Dippree’s holding penalty that wiped off a 40-yard touchdown run from receiver Kendrick Law on Alabama’s second possession. Still, we’re sticking with the A grade.

It all starts with Isaiah Bond, who was the second half of Alabama’s 31-yard game-winner in the final minute. Bond did well to gain a little separation from his defender before jumping up to secure Milroe’s fourth-down heave. The sophomore receiver was then able to get two feet down in the end zone to secure the game-winning score. That reception was one of a game-high five catches for Bond, who finished with 75 yards on the afternoon.

Jermaine Burton also came up big, tallying a team-high 107 receiving yards and a touchdown on four catches. That included a 68-yard bomb from Milroe in the second quarter.

Amari Niblack tallied two catches for 24 yards. However, the biggest play from a tight end came from Robbie Ouzts, who blew up Auburn cornerback Keionte Scott to clear the way for Williams’ fourth-down conversion on Alabama’s game-winning drive.

On one hand, Alabama allowed just one sack, and cleared the way for 192 yards on the ground. On the other hand, more snapping issues nearly derailed Alabama’s playoff chances for good.

Seth McLaughlin’s early snap on second-and-goal during Alabama’s final possession cost 18 yards as Milroe had to scamper to fall on the ball at the Auburn 26-yard line. Had it not been for the quarterback’s heroics two plays later, that would have been a game-defining mistake for McLaughlin.

It’s worth noting that Auburn safety Zion Puckett appeared to clab to draw McLaughlin into the snap. That should have been flagged by the officials for disconcerting signals. Outside of that mishap, Alabama’s offensive line didn’t have any pre-snap penalties, which is impressive in a loud environment such as Jordan-Hare Stadium.

As usual, I’m counting edge rushers Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell as defensive linemen, seeing as they line up primarily at the line of scrimmage. Both Turner and Braswell recorded sacks as the duo combined for 10 quarterback pressures. Defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe also had a sack on the afternoon.

Still, it’s hard to give this unit too high of a grade considering Alabama’s inability to stop Auburn on the ground. The Tigers ran for 244 yards and two touchdowns on 42 carries, an average of 5.8 yards per attempt. While that’s not all on the defensive line, Alabama’s front could have definitely done better on the day.

Perhaps this is a little harsh considering Deontae Lawson recorded five tackles and a sack in his first game since injuring his ankle against LSU. However, he and fellow starting inside linebacker Jihaad Campbell could have done better against Auburn’s rushing attack.

According to Pro Football Focus, the two starting linebackers both missed on a tackle and finished the day with below-average grades on run defense. Lawson earned a 59.1 run-defense mark from PFF, while Jihaad Campbell earned a 58.6 grade against the run. The only Alabama defender to grade lower than those to was backup inside linebacker Trezmen Marshall, who earned a 51.2 grade over five snaps against the run.

Auburn has the worst passing attack in the SEC, and Alabama’s defensive backs made sure that remained the case Saturday. Tigers quarterback Payton Thorne completed just 5 of 16 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions.

Alabama’s biggest slip-up came during Thorne’s 27-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Varrius Johnson in the third quarter. On that play, Malachi Moore failed to pick up Johnson thinking that he had help deep. He didn’t, and Johnson was left wide open for an easy score. Safety Caleb Downs also allowed a 37-yard reception on a third-and-3 in the third quarter. Other than those two plays, Auburn failed to produce a passing play of more than 7 yards.

Terrion Arnold was immense for Alabama, coming away with a pair of interceptions while not allowing a reception on any of the three balls thrown his way. Meanwhile, Downs allowed just one reception on the five passes targeted at him.

Cambell came up with a huge fumble recovery on Auburn’s muffed punt in the fourth quarter. That play came on a nice punt from James Burnip. Still, it wasn’t a banner day for Alabama’s special teams unit.

Burnip shanked one of his punts, causing him to average just 42.2 yards on his five attempts. Meanwhile, Will Reichard had a rare miss, going 2 of 3 on field-goal attempts.