Auburn had Alabama right where they wanted in the first half, forcing three turnovers and trailing just one possession at the break.

235 yards and 14 points later saw the Tigers’ one-score deficit turn into a 22-point Alabama lead late in the third quarter.

Jalen Milroe’s three rushing touchdowns won’t help either as he orchestrated a total of 457 yards of offense for Alabama.

“He’s a pretty fast player,” Keldric Faulk said after the game. “He is very dynamic in everything he does. I only had flowers to give him because he played well today.

Faulk finished the night with six tackles. But Jalen McLeod’s nine tackles and two sacks led to half of Alabama’s turnovers.

“We just knew what type of game it was. It’s a rivalry. It’s Alabama. We hate Alabama. We just couldn’t capitalize on them,” McLeod said. “When you create that many turnovers in the first half, we felt good about ourselves.”

“We just didn’t close out the first drive of the third quarter. I wish we could get that one back. It changed the dynamic of the game.”

Alabama’s first touchdown of the second half went nine plays for 75 yards. The Crimson Tide led in time of possession over the final two quarters, draining the Tigers defense for 21:08 of game time.

Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said after the game the defense was shorthanded, losing freshman defensive back Jay Crawford. At this time, Freeze has no updates on his injury.

“It’s weighed on us, I really think, over the last couple of weeks. And we were so skinny. I mean, we’re thin. And we could tell. We looked gassed at times,” Freeze said.

“You knew how good Jalen Milroe was and what he could do with his feet and his arms. It just multiplies things when you can’t – and some of them were third and long – and you can’t get off the field. Fatigue, and that just weighs you down and obviously limits the possessions we have with the opportunities.

Auburn scored just six points off Alabama turnovers, showing the Tigers’ struggles on both sides of the ball.

Now that the Tigers are eliminated from bowl games, all eyes are on National Signing Day, which begins the full list of offseason tasks ahead.

“Very frustrating. This is what will lodge in your stomach; that we didn’t score and the opportunities we had,” Freeze said. “It’s disappointing that we could finish the season the way we did.”

“There’s a lot to build on, for sure, with these kids and the class that we’ll be able to sign next week. However, this wound is still there.

Jerry Humphrey III covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him at X@Jerryhump3 or email him at [email protected]