Paul Finebaum: Auburn coach Bryan Harsin blew the Iron Bowl

For much of Saturday’s Iron Bowl, it looked as if Auburn was going to upset No. 3 ranked Alabama and knock it out of the College Football Playoff top-four. The Tigers had a 10-0 lead going into the fourth quarter, but they ultimately blew it – letting the Crimson Tide come from behind and win 24-22 in a four-overtime classic.

While Auburn running back Tank Bigsby has received plenty of backlash for a decision he made on a crucial play in the game, Paul Finebaum made it clear on The ESPN College Football Podcast on Sunday that head coach Bryan Harsin is the one to blame for the Tigers’ loss.

“The shot of him walking off the field rubbing his head was as classic as I’ve seen all year in college football,” Finebaum said. “I saw Harsin twice in my weekend in Auburn – he was on our show Friday and we had him on our [SEC] Nation show Saturday morning. He seemed ready … he was ready – until the big moment came, and then he flat-out blew it. He blew it a couple of times.

“He quit being Bryan Harsin at the end of the game. He thought he could run the clock out on Alabama. He couldn’t. [CBS Sports broadcaster Gary] Danielson went on at nauseam about Tank Bigsby not running out of bounds … I mean, he was thrown out of bounds. He’s a big guy, but he was literally tossed out of bounds.”

What happened to Auburn down the stretch?

While Auburn needed just a couple of yards on a third-and-two to pick up a first down and ultimately beat Alabama on Saturday, the Tigers did the exact opposite of that – instead losing four yards and, later, the game as a whole.

Auburn’s loss pushed its losing streak to four games, and the Tigers now sit at 6-6 overall with a 3-5 mark in SEC play. Bryan Harsin’s team will play in a postseason bowl game, but the coach is facing plenty of heat for the way his team finished the regular season.

“I’m not saying it was easy to do, but objectively that’s what you had to do,” Finebaum said. “You had to start thinking, ‘How do we get a yard?’ It was insane and this is a guy who went into College Station a few weeks ago 6-2 and controlled their own destiny. I’m not saying they could’ve won out – obviously they lost out. He has just burned his credibility to a crisp.”