No. 2 ’Bama rallies past Auburn

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

The Tide stayed perfect with an imperfect 26-21 victory Friday against 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 completed a second consecutive perfect regular season in the Iron Bowl.

Alabama did it the hard way, falling behind in the opening minutes, but ultimately did its part to set up a 1 vs. 2 showdown with top-ranked Florida in the SEC championship game.

Forget the national and conference championships, the state title almost slipped away.

“The strong do survive but the strong do get their [butts] kicked,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “That was my message to the team.”

Auburn (7-5, 3-5) pushed the ball to the Alabama 37 on the 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.

No. 6 Boise St. 44, Nevada 33: At Boise, Idaho, Kellen Moore tied his career high with five touchdown passes, three to fill-in fullback Dan Paul, and Boise State remained undefeated with a victory against Nevada.

With executives with the Sugar, Fiesta and Orange bowls watching, the Broncos (12-0, 7-0 Western Athletic Conference) withstood the Wolf Pack’s rally from 24 points down in the first half.

West Virginia 19, No. 8 Pittsburgh 16: At Morgantown, W.Va., Noel Devine rushed for 134 yards and Tyler Bitancurt kicked four field goals, including a 43-yarder as time expired to lift West Virginia past Pittsburgh.

West Virginia (8-3, 4-2 Big East) halted the five-game winning streak of the Panthers (9-2, 5-1).