Casagrande: Alabama disaster painted on a bloody Saturday, new life for Auburn

This caused Alabama to veer off its path of gaining momentum from its recent severe snap wobble. Quarterback Jalen Milroe, who led the Crimson Tide into title contention at LSU, left for the season two Saturdays later at Oklahoma.

magnificent 24-3 final It was Alabama’s first scoreless game since the 2011 classic with LSU. But he probably won’t be a muligan like he was after a 9-6 overtime loss 13 years ago. Nothing is completely solved in this new play-off world.

The shocking reversal of LSU’s 42-14 humiliation from two weeks ago was as ugly a scene as this program has felt in recent memory.

It’s his second loss as a double-digit favorite, entering his first three-loss regular season since 2010.

And it’s another dive into unusual depths for a program that has felt tremors throughout a period of unprecedented success, but none that felt as catastrophic as this one. Losing a game in which the opponent could only pass 68 yards, throwing the ball just 12 times, would melt the brain of a modern football observer.

Alabama’s 234 total yards were its fewest since a 14-13 win at Arkansas in 2014, which it ultimately survived. Only 16 games since 1998 have seen Alabama win less — just three games since Nick Saban was hired. Alabama’s three interceptions were the most since the 2011 opener against Kent State.

There isn’t much positive Alabama can do next Saturday from Norman to Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The opposite is true for the Auburn program, which has felt nothing but heartbreaking pain at Jordan-Hare Stadium this season. They were suffering perhaps their biggest failure, taking a 21-0 lead before finding themselves trailing in the closing moments.

Not another fourth quarter joke.

Instead, the kicking game that had failed the Tigers spectacularly in the first 10 games proved to be the savior in Game 11. A 29-yarder sent the game into overtime, and a 41-yarder was needed for a third overtime (aided by an Aggie dropped pass that ended the game) before a much-maligned passing play provided the winner of the fourth overtime.

Payton Throne completed 19 of his 31 carries for 301 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Receiver Cam Coleman caught seven balls for 128 yards; It’s a second straight triple-digit game for the five-star prospect, symbolizing that Hugh Freeze’s recruiting prowess is now finding its rhythm as his freshman season comes to a close. He became the first Tiger to have consecutive 100-yard games for Auburn since Sammie Coates in 2013.

It’s the story of an Auburn offense loaded with SEC contender running back talent and a receiver beset with mistakes that ruined a season that began with hopes of renewal.

Instead, success was redefined in the closing weeks as bowl eligibility and the SEC’s wrecking ball status replaced meaningful postseason game contention on the bullpen chart.

The late-night on-field storm was the emotional release of several fraught seasons that reached a new low almost every Saturday.

The same was true this season for Oklahoma, a proud program that was stumbling into SEC darkness until Saturday night.

The two teams, ranked 1-5, threw color into SEC tiebreaker scenarios along with pencil drawings of their playoff matchups. The same was true for Florida, which was scrapped in September and handed its third loss to Mississippi earlier in the day.

The SEC’s rising middle and lower classes bolstered the league’s depth on the traditionally cupcake-filled pre-holiday weekend.

There was blood on Saturday.

However, the uncertainty of the future and the ensuing disaster have charted a season in which no one is safe as rebirth may be the beginning.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.