One day after his chief competitor for the Heisman Trophy, Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, accumulated nearly 500 yards of offense and four total touchdowns, Tua Tagovailoa did him one better.

In three quarters plus three plays of action in the 83rd Iron Bowl, the sophomore signal-caller threw for 324 yards and six total touchdowns – a new school record – en route to a 52-21 victory over Auburn.

At halftime, though, Alabama clung to a slim 17-14 lead. In his halftime interview with CBS, head coach Nick Saban lamented the lack of explosive plays and efficiency from his offense.

Tagovailoa completed 14 of his 20 passes before the intermission, but for only 116 yards. The offense limped into halftime with back-to-back three-and-outs with a blocked punt in between.

“[Tagovailoa’s] leadership was really important today to our offense,” Saban said. “Don’t ask me why, but it didn’t seem like we had the right kind of energy in the first half. I don’t know if it was anxiety or what it was, but we seemed to settle down and play a lot better in the second half.”

On the fifth play of the second half, Tagovailoa took the snap with 23 seconds left on the play clock, held his gaze over the middle of the field, and heaved a deep ball down the left sideline into the arms of sophomore wide receiver Jerry Jeudy.

The semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given annually to the best receiver in the country, shook off the desperate tackle attempt by the Auburn defensive back covering him and scored his 11th touchdown of the year, which trails only Amari Cooper’s 2014 total (16) in team history.

“We saw that they were always looking to the sideline [for the call],” Tagovailoa said. “So we knew that if we hurried up the tempo we’d have an opportunity to take a shot.”

Auburn’s ensuing three-and-out wasn’t nearly long enough to stunt the Crimson Tide’s momentum. Within three plays Alabama was again in Auburn territory. This time Tagovailoa floated a pass to junior running back Josh Jacobs, who had three defenders surrounding him, with the perfect combination of loft and zip.

That sucked the life out of the Auburn contingent in attendance, as well as any narrative that Alabama’s record of 81 consecutive wins over unranked opponents might come to an end.

“You could feel the momentum swing, not only for the offense but the defense started making plays,” Jacobs said. “So it was huge to come out and start fast.”

Tagovailoa finished the second half 11-of-12 for 208 yards and four touchdowns in a performance Saban called “outstanding.” It was also the first game in which Jeudy, DeVonta Smith, Henry Ruggs III and Jaylen Waddle each had a touchdown. Jacobs’ third-quarter score brought his season total to 12, Jeudy’s was his 11th, and Ruggs’ two trips to the end zone got him to double digits.

Tagovailoa threw two passes in the fourth quarter, tripling his season total, before ceding the rest of the game to junior Jalen Hurts, who again received a raucous ovation from the home crowd.

On his first and only pass of the game, Hurts threw over the middle to Jaylen Waddle. The freshman phenom cut outside to the sideline and sprinted all the way to the end zone, where he basked in one of the most frenzied moments in recent Bryant-Denny Stadium history while Tagovailoa fist-pumped and clapped vigorously on the sideline.

The win capped the team’s fourth perfect regular season in 11 years and its second since 2016.

It was also the 53rd victory for the senior class, whose names were announced before the game as part of Alabama’s Senior Day festivities.

This year’s seniors tied an NCAA record for the most wins by any class. The record was set by last year’s graduating class, who finished their careers with a 53-5 record.

“For our seniors, we’re really happy for them,” Saban said, “that their last memory of playing in Bryant-Denny Stadium will be one that they can remember in a very positive way.”