Alabama wins Iron Bowl tune up over Chattanooga
Published 12:09 am Sunday, November 24, 2013
TUSCALOOSA (AP) — It wasn’t the biggest pass of AJ McCarron’s career, but it might have been the most personal.
McCarron threw for two touchdowns and became No. 1 Alabama’s winningest quarterback in Saturday’s 49-0 victory over Chattanooga. His most memorable toss went for 3 measly yards.
On his final drive in his last game at Bryant-Denny Stadium, McCarron found his little brother, Corey, early in the third quarter. The crowd might not have gotten excited, but their mom, Dee Dee Bonner, made her feelings known.
“I literally could hear her screaming as soon as he caught it over everybody,” AJ McCarron said. “I guess the rest of the crowd was, ‘All right, great, 5-yard gain.’ And she was still yelling. The whole family was probably crying.”
McCarron completed 13 of 16 passes for 171 yards for the Crimson Tide (11-0). He improved to 36-2 as a starter, breaking a tie with Jay Barker for the school mark.
McCarron and Alabama got an easy tuneup for the Iron Bowl against No. 6 Auburn to determine the Southeastern Conference Western Division champion. Both teams are still hoping for national title shots in a state that has claimed the last four BCS championships.
The Tide defense produced its third shutout of the year, blocking a field goal against the FCS Mocs (8-4).
“For me, it was perfect,” linebacker C.J. Mosley said of his final home game. “We came out with a shutout. It can’t get any better than that for a defensive player. We talked about this being a momentum game, going into next week and the rest of the season.”
Kenyan Drake ran for 77 yards and a 13-yard touchdown with starting tailback T.J. Yeldon sitting out to rest a sprained ankle. Freshman Derrick Henry ran six times for 66 yards and scored on a 5-yard touchdown set up by his own 27-yard scamper.
Next week, Alabama will travel to Auburn for the Iron Bowl.