Jerraud Powers’ circus interception just before halftime changed the momentum of Saturday night’s Iron Bowl and helped propel Auburn past Alabama.
Trailing 10-7 from the Auburn 11 with 24 seconds remaining in the first half, Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson floated a pass to D.J. Hall, who drew single coverage from Powers, in the end zone. The taller Hall, had the go-ahead touchdown in his sights. But the ball bobbled off his finger tips, where the Powers grabbed the pick.
“Me and DJ were fighting for the ball,” explained Powers, who played wide receiver in high school. “He tipped it up, then I caught it. But when I caught it, the first thing I thought of was keeping my feet inbounds.
“Sometimes the ball bounces your way. At LSU (Powers was beaten by receiver Demetrius Byrd for a last-second, game-winning score), I had my hand on the ball.”
AU head coach Tommy Tuberville considered the play “huge.”
“We struggled in the second quarter,” he said. “It turned momentum. Our defense has stepped up a lot for us. Whoever wins the turnover ratio usually wins this game. It was a typical Iron Bowl – a lot of defense and hard hitting.”
The interception was a microcosm of Auburn’s defensive effort for the night. The Tigers clung to a 10-7 lead for much of the game, forced the Tide into a failed field goal in the second quarter, and never allowed Alabama inside the Tiger 30 in the second half.
Alabama gained just 225 total yards, while Wilson completed just 12 of 26 passes for 113 yards.
Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp said part of the plan was to “take Hall out of the game.” Auburn did, allowing the Tide’s marquee receiver just 3 catches for 29 yards.
“We rolled the coverage to him most of the night,” Muschamp said. “He’s an outstanding playmaker.”
Though Auburn struck for a quick 10-0 lead, it depended on its defense to hold Alabama off. The Tiger offense drove inside the Alabama 40 just once in the second half – a drive which resulted in quarterback Brandon Cox’s crucial 1-yard TD sneak with 3:58 to play.
“I tried to make plays and help us get through this,” said Tiger linebacker Tray Blackmon, who recorded seven tackles. “It works both ways. When the offense isn’t doing good, you have to step up and make plays. I never had a doubt in my mind we wouldn’t win. Not once.”
But head coach Tommy Tuberville said the team’s defensive star Saturday was senior nose guard Josh Thompson, who directed a team meeting Friday night.
“He (Thompson) was all over the field making plays,” Tuberville said of Thompson, who led the Tigers with 12 tackles. “He was very instrumental in this win tonight.”
The defensive effort was particularly pleasing to Muschamp, whose unit allowed Georgia 45 points in a blowout loss two weeks ago.
“It was an embarrassing loss for Auburn and it fell on my shoulders,” he said. “I’m still down about it.”
Moments after the game, Powers was surrounded by reporters inquiring about his game-changing interception. Instead, he was grinning about another play that happened beyond the end zone late in the fourth quarter.
Wilson threw incomplete out of the end zone, and Powers ran into a crowd of onlookers, including a police officer – and K-9.
“A German Shepherd bit me,” he said with a laugh. “I saw blood gushing from my glove. I guess since I was so close to the cop. He was protective. I remember Georgia’s bulldog bite someone (AU receiver Rober Baker) here a few years ago.”