TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — In the end, the Joker got the last laugh.
It’s unknown whether or not Auburn quarterback Bo Nix meant to belittle Mac Jones last week when he stated the Heisman contender “does a great job managing the game. Regardless, the statement didn’t necessarily sit well with the Crimson Tide’s players.
“When I saw it, I sent it to Mac and showed it to him,” receiver DeVonta Smith said of Nix’s quote. “It was just funny just seeing that. But I mean, at the end of the day, people are gonna talk, they’re gonna do what they want. At the end of the day, we’re just gonna show up, execute the game plan and do what we’ve gotta do.”
Jones was far from a game-manager Saturday night. The Alabama quarterback completed 18 of 26 passes for 302 yards and a career-high five touchdowns, tearing apart an Auburn secondary that came into the afternoon ranked second in the SEC in pass defense. Jones is just the second passer to reach the 300-yard mark against the Tigers this season. His five touchdown passes are the most Auburn has allowed since former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa also torched the Tigers for five scores through the air during the 2018 Iron Bowl.
Saturday’s performance helped Jones regain his momentum in the Heisman race after posting a season-low 230 yards through the air against Kentucky last week.
“Last week, I feel like I didn’t play as well as I could have and just tried to improve on the little things throughout the week,” Jones said. “But all that other stuff just goes to my teammates. They’re always gonna do their jobs, so I have to match them and do my job, as well. They make it easy. And you’ve just gotta keep improving each week, and that’s how we have to look at it.”
While Nix’s comments came back to haunt him, his play on the field didn’t do him many favors either. The sophomore completed 23 of 38 passes for 227 yards with two interceptions. He did manage to punch in a 1-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Although, by that point, Jones and the Tide had already put the game to bed.
Records are within reach for DeVonta Smith
Alabama’s go-to receiver can’t be stopped. At this point, SEC defenses know the Tide is going to throw the ball Smith’s way, there’s just nothing they can seem to do about it.
