Did Bryce Young improve his Heisman Trophy chances with 4OT Iron Bowl win over Auburn

The No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide were shut out for three quarters in Saturday’s showdown with archrival Auburn, but stormed back late to emerge victorious with a 24-22 win in four overtimes.

Just one week after setting the school’s single-game passing yards record, quarterback Bryce Young was by far having his worst performance of the season for three-and-a-half quarters. The second-year QB was running for his life all afternoon, getting sacked seven times by a ferocious Auburn defense. But with his back against the wall, he performed some late-game magic.

Down 10-3 on his own three-yard line with 1:35 left in the fourth, Young marched his team down the field for a 97-yard yard drive that culminated with him hitting Ja’Corey Brooks in the end zone for the game-tying score. He set the tone in the first OT by connecting with Slade Bolden for a TD and hooked up with John Metchie III for a two-point conversion in the third OT. He’d then provide the dagger in the fourth OT, dialing up Metchie again for the winning score.

Young entered this weekend’s play at +175 to win the Heisman Trophy and was listed at -200 after the final whistle at DraftKings Sportsbook. He was as low as +240 when he was struggling in the fourth quarter, but his late-game heroics shot him back up to the top of the leaderboard. And he benefitted from previous frontrunner C.J. Stroud having a subpar performance against Michigan on Saturday.

The Heisman is Young’s to lose at this point and he’ll have an opportunity to effectively clinch it with a strong performance against No. 1 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game next Saturday.

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