There’s second-and-26. Now there’s fourth-and-31.

A Jalen Milroe dart thrown from near midfield to a leaping Isaiah Bond in the corner of the endzone gave Alabama a historic, unexpected and thrilling Iron Bowl comeback. The touchdown came in the final 32 seconds to give No. 8 Alabama (11-1, 8-0 SEC) a 27-24 win.

UA head coach Nick Saban picked up his 14th win all-time against Auburn and has a dozen victories in Iron Bowl games compared to five losses. The latest was a slugfest befitting of the rivalry. Making his debut in the rivalry game, Hugh Freeze kept it competitive well into the fourth quarter but ultimately fell short after the Tide rallied off a muffed punt.

Here are takeaways from Alabama’s regular-season finale.

Alabama’s playoff hopes stay alive in Jordan-Hare Stadium with bit of magic

Saban said during the week that in a history of “crazy stuff” impacting the rivalry, the team that’s played the best usually gets the win.

Alabama proved that with a roaring comeback with just under five minutes left when linebacker Jihaad Campbell caught a muffed punt from Keionte Scott at the Auburn 30-yard line. Then facing a third-and-20, Milroe broke the pocket and scrambled to his left, setting up a fourth-down conversion on a pitch to Roydell Williams. Milroe’s ensuing game-winning throw after an illegal forward pass flag nearly caused the UA bench to empty onto the field.

The Tide had already clinched a trip to the SEC Championship next weekend against Georgia in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. But with one loss — and the fact that a two-loss side had never reached the four-team CFP — Alabama has played in de-facto elimination games since its Sept. 9 defeat against Texas. The stretch continued against the Tigers.

Auburn runs it back while Tide defense leaks for big plays

Building off the success that Chattanooga managed against UA’s defense a week ago, Auburn found some running lanes against the Tide. Alabama conceded multiple chunk runs, offering little resistance from linebackers and safeties. The Tigers generated multiple runs of at least 10 yards, including gains of 42- and 56 yards from Jarquez Hunter and Damari Alston, respectively, that set up touchdown drives. Ja’Varrius Johnson’s 12-yard finish in the second quarter gave the Tigers its first lead.

For the game, Auburn managed 244 yards on 42 carries. It’s the most the Tide allowed in a game since a Cadillac Williams-led Tigers produced 318 on the ground in last year’s Iron Bowl — the most Alabama has allowed in the Saban era.

The ground game mostly overcompensated for a lackluster passing effort led by Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne (5-for-16). His best completion was to a wide-open Johnson for a 27-yard touchdown and kept a packed crowd into it.

Alabama offense held back by miscues, until it wasn’t

Across UA’s first three drives, the ball reached the endzone thrice. Alabama’s short passing and efficient run game proved a struggle for the Tigers, but as would be a game-long trend, the Tide couldn’t get out of its own way.

A 40-yard rush by Kendrick Law on fourth-and-1 was called back due to holding in the first quarter. A touchdown pass from Jalen Milroe was wiped off the board when the officials ruled he was past the line of scrimmage. Then, a blindside block set Will Reichard back 15 more yards, leading to a missed 42-yarder.

Heading into Saturday, Alabama was producing touchdowns on 75% of drives that ended in the red zone. It went three-for-six against Auburn.

The miscues continued into UA’s final drive. Milroe was sacked for a third-and-20, UA lost 18 yards off a punt. The Tide also faced a fourth-and-31. But then Milroe bought time and made history.

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].