TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama refused to be denied an Iron Bowl victory despite a regular season that’s had plenty of ups and downs. The Crimson Tide’s hopes of reaching the SEC Championship game fell apart with a loss to Oklahoma, but the team didn’t let that performance rollover into the Iron Bowl. Alabama never trailed and took down its archrival Auburn 28-14 inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Despite three first-half turnovers, No. 13 Alabama (9-3, 5-3 SEC) dominated Auburn defensively in the first half. The Tide’s offense then came out strong to start the second half and put the game away. Despite a three-loss campaign, Alabama finished the regular season unbeaten at home and coach Kalen DeBoer tied the record for most wins by a first-year head coach in their first season.

Here's a recap of Alabama's Iron Bowl victory.

Scoring summary

— TOUCHDOWN Alabama: Jalen Milroe 19-yard touchdown run (5 plays, 52 yards, 2:23)

Alabama 7, Auburn 0 | 3:18

​​Key play: Milroe’s touchdown run

Mistakes prevented both teams from getting on the board early in the quarter. Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams fumbled after making a 19-yard catch, giving Auburn the football back. The Tigers were unable to cash in, however after missing a 39-yard field goal.

The Tide was eventually able to strike first courtesy of Milroe. The redshirt junior turned a third-and-2 into an 11-yard gain, before finishing the drive off one play later with a 19-yard touchdown run. The score was Milroe’s 18th rushing touchdown this season and gave Alabama the lead late in the opening period.

Player of the quarter: Malachi Moore

Moore nearly had a full-circle moment during his final game inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. Coming into Saturday’s game, Moore had won all four matchups against Auburn and had an interception against the Tigers during his freshman season.

The fifth-year safety nearly got another pick on his second of two pass breakups in the first quarter Saturday. He got his hands on the football when Auburn took a deep shot on third-and-8, which helped the Tide get off the field. He stalled another Auburn drive earlier in the quarter, breaking up a pass on third-and-9 that forced the Tigers to kick a field goal which they missed.

Scoring summary:

FIELD GOAL Auburn: Ian Vachon 37-yard field goal (9 plays, 72 yards, 2:56)

Alabama 7, Auburn 3 | 8:27

TOUCHDOWN Alabama: Milroe 1-yard touchdown run (12 plays, 75 yards, 5:37)

Alabama 14, Auburn 3 | 2:44

FIELD GOAL Auburn: Vachon 25-yard field goal (8 plays, 27 yards, 1:13)

Alabama 14, Auburn 6 | 0:27

​​Key play: Jihaad Campbell run-stuff on third-and-goal

Auburn looked primed to convert its first touchdown of the game after Alabama turned the ball over for a third time in the first half with just over a minute left. Milroe was stip-sacked by Auburn edge rusher Jalen McLeod, setting up the Tigers on the Alabama 34-yard line.

That’s when Campbell stepped up. Auburn drove all the way to the Alabama 1, but on third-and-goal, Campbell burst through the line and dropped Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter for a 1-yard loss. Auburn would ultimately settle for a field goal as the Tide held the Tigers to single digits in the opening half.

Player of the quarter: Jihaad Campbell

Alabama’s star linebacker was just that in the second quarter. Along with his emphatic stop to keep Auburn out of the end zone, Campbell finished the quarter with three additional tackles and a quarterback hurry. The junior linebacker has been a versatile machine all season long and that versatility helped the Tide keep Auburn out of the end zone in the first half, despite Alabama’s offense giving the ball away three times in the opening 40 minutes.

Scoring summary

TOUCHDOWN Alabama: Justice Haynes 2-yard touchdown run (9 plays, 75 yards, 3:47)

Alabama: 21, Auburn: 6 | 11:13

TOUCHDOWN Alabama: Milroe 17-yard touchdown run (6 plays, 60 yards, 2:42)

Alabama: 28, Auburn: 6 | 6:54

TOUCHDOWN Auburn: Cam Coleman 29-yard touchdown reception. Two-point conversion good (10 plays, 87 yards, 4:23)

Alabama: 28, Auburn: 14 | 2:31

​​Key play: Haynes' touchdown run

Alabama started the second half exactly how it wanted. Auburn was still in reach after some Tide miscues on offense in the first half. But Alabama quickly put the game out of reach with an outstanding opening drive that leaned on the run game. Haynes capped off the drive with a 2-yard score that set the tone for the rest of the game.

Player of the quarter: Jam Miller

Alabama was fueled by a balanced attack in the third quarter. Both Milroe and Miller were churning on the ground with the ladder helping balance the Tide’s high-powered offense. Miller had 10 carries for 71 yards in the third quarter alone. He finished the game with a season-high 28 carries and had 84 yards on the ground to help power the Tide to victory.

Scoring summary:

​​Key play: Bray Hubbard interception

Alabama struggled with turnovers all game long. Fortunately for the Tide, Auburn wasn’t able to capitalize and crucially gave the ball right back to Alabama after its fourth turnover of the game. Auburn attempted a double pass with quarterback Payton Throne throwing it behind the line of scrimmage to running back Jarquez Hunter. The senior back then heaved an ill-advised throw toward the end zone, which Hubbard stepped in front of to snag his third interception of the season. The breakout sophomore now leads Alabama in picks this season.

Player of the quarter: Jalen Milroe

After a mistake-ridden first half, Milroe was poised and helped Alabama’s offense click in the second. He scored his 20th rushing touchdown of the season in the third quarter and made up for a fumble early in the fourth with composed play to see out the win. Through the air, Milroe was 3 of 4 for 32 yards and added 19 yards on the ground in the fourth quarter.

— Germie Bernard: Bernard was Milroe's best target and had his first game with over 100 receiving yards. Bernard finished with 7 catches for a season-high 111 yards.

— Malachi Moore: Moore played like it was his last game inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The safety finished with four tackles, including 0.5 for loss, three pass breakups and a quarterback hit.

— Jihaad Campbell: Campbell seems to be Alabama's leading tackler week in and week out. He didn't let up in the Tide's rivalry win, finishing with eight tackles, including one for loss and a pair of quarterback hits.

— Jalen Milroe: Despite committing three of Alabama's four turnovers, Milroe still deserves some praise for staying composed and guiding Alabama to a win. The Tide quarterback completed 18 of 24 passes for 256 yards with one interception and had 104 yards and 3 touchdowns on 17 carries.