As it turned out, Auburn football’s Demarcus Riddick couldn’t cash the check his mouth wrote during Iron Bowl week. After Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, who Riddick claimed could not equal his speed, went around the Tiger linebacker on his way to a touchdown.

This is Jalen Milroe and Alabama football in 2024. Fully capable of big plays and dominant stretches with just enough mistakes to keep things interesting -- or frustrating. Flawed, but perfect at Bryant-Denny Stadium nonetheless.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Kalen DeBoer’s first Iron Bowl was far from the back-and-forth of some shootouts of the past and lacked the theatrics of Nick Saban’s final act in the legendary rivalry last season. Even so, the first-year Alabama coach did something Saban could not: taste victory in his inaugural Alabama-Auburn showdown.