College Football | No. 2 Alabama rallies to edge Auburn 26-21

AUBURN, Ala. — Pushed to the limit and outplayed for most of the game, No. 2 Alabama found its championship form in the nick of time.

The Crimson Tide stayed perfect with an imperfect 26-21 victory Friday over Auburn, taking the lead with a tenacious drive that was capped by Greg McElroy's 4-yard touchdown pass to Roy Upchurch with 1:24 left.

The Crimson Tide (12-0 overall, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) didn't get much help from Heisman Trophy candidate Mark Ingram, but managed to complete a second consecutive perfect regular season in the Iron Bowl.

Alabama did it the hard way, falling behind in the opening minutes, but eventually did its part to set up a showdown with top-ranked Florida in the SEC Championship Game next Saturday in Atlanta. Florida hosts Florida State today.

A victory over Florida would virtually guarantee Alabama a berth in the Jan. 7 BCS National Championship Game in Pasadena, Calif.

But forget the SEC and national championships — the state title almost slipped away from the Crimson Tide.

"We didn't play a great game today," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "It's a great win. I've never been prouder of them."

Auburn (7-5, 3-5) pushed the ball to the Alabama 37 on its final drive, wasting lots of time and gaining not nearly enough yards. Chris Todd's final pass to the end zone was batted down by Rolando McClain of the Crimson Tide.

For the second consecutive day, one of the three teams at the top of the BCS standings was knocked woozy, but did not fall. Much like No. 3 Texas, which held off Texas A&M 49-39 Thursday night, Alabama found out being a big favorite against a rival sometimes doesn't matter much.

Needing one more score to take the lead against Auburn, the Crimson Tide called a timeout and switched out of a running play and went to a senior back without a touchdown reception in his career.

"I was yelling at everybody, 'Put me in! Put me in!' " Upchurch recalled. "No one was hearing me. I just had the feeling that I'd be wide open in the end zone. They changed the play. Patience pays off and today I've got a story to tell."

The Crimson Tide survived a shaky effort by its usually stellar defense and a quiet game by Ingram.

The SEC's leading rusher was held to 30 yards on 16 carries and was on the bench for most of the winning drive. Saban said he believed Ingram had a bruised hip.

"Something like that," Ingram said. "I'll be all right."

McElroy and Julio Jones took over without him, aided by five runs and a 17-yard catch by freshman Trent Richardson on the 15-play, 79-yard drive that consumed more than seven minutes.

McElroy completed his final seven passes for 62 yards; he ended up 21 of 31 for 218 yards and two touchdowns.

Auburn, which led 14-0 after less than 10 minutes, outgained Alabama 332-291.

"I'm not disappointed with anybody on our team," first-year Tigers coach Gene Chizik said. "Nobody."