With the 85th matchup of the Iron Bowl scheduled for Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium, the staff at Touchdown Alabama Magazine has compiled a series of 10 stories on the best games from the rivalry.
The series will break down the lead up to each game, the significance of the matchup, and the game itself as we go down memory lane of Alabama versus Auburn. We will provide two to three stories per day, until kickoff this weekend.
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The No. 9 contest we look at is the 1999 Iron Bowl.
Lead up to the game
Mike DuBose was in his third year as head coach at the University of Alabama, in replacing Gene Stallings.
He and the Crimson Tide hosted Auburn at Legion Field (Birmingham, Ala.) in 1998 and for one-half of football, Alabama fans were very worried. The Tigers carried a 17-0 lead and appeared to have all the momentum. It looked that way, until Shaun Alexander got going for the Tide. After he punched in a rushing touchdown, DuBose drew up a little trickery for Alabama’s second score of the game. Despite an interception from Andrew Zow and Auburn having a 17-14 lead at halftime, Alexander started to gash the Tigers in the second half. He accounted for two more scores, including a touchdown catch from Zow.
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Alabama would secure a 31-17 win at home, but it had never been victorious at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
In leading up to the 1999 matchup, the Tide posted an 8-2 record. DuBose and company earned victories over five teams ranked in the top-25, including a 40-39 win over Florida (No. 3) and Steve Spurrier at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Alabama wanted its second straight win over Auburn, and it was going to do as the No. 8 team in the country.
Significance of the Game
The first Iron Bowl meeting at Jordan-Hare Stadium came in 1989.
During the years of 1989, 1993 and 1995, Alabama did not beat Auburn in its venue. The Crimson Tide had its first SEC Championship appearance on the line with DuBose, and it was looking for a win at Auburn. Also, Alabama needed to send Shaun Alexander to the National Football League in style with a victory over the Tigers in his final appearance in the rivalry.
The 1999 Iron Bowl Game
The first half at Jordan-Hare Stadium felt like 1998 all over again.
Alabama moved the football, but it settled for field goals on its first two drives. Auburn jumped out to a 14-6 lead and took the advantage into halftime. The Tigers could have taken a 17-6 lead in the third quarter; however, it missed a field goal.
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He watched Andrew Zow struggle in the first half, so DuBose made a switch to Tyler Watts in the third quarter. Watts had the Tide in business on a drive that placed it in the red zone, but Auburn stopped it on all four attempts. With this happening, the Tide’s defense answered with a safety to end the quarter. While its defense held the Tigers to three points in the final period, Shaun Alexander got loose. Regardless of Auburn holding a 14-8 edge at the time, Alexander rushed for 176 yards and scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. It was something about the Tigers that would give him an extra gear on the field.
He had been hampered by an injury the entire game, nevertheless, Alexander kept fighting.
In following behind Chris Samuels, he turned in huge runs. He carried Tiger defenders throughout the quarter for yards after contact, and even caught passes out the backfield. His first score, which came at the 11:55 mark in the third period, gave the Tide its first lead (15-14) since its 6-0 advantage in the first quarter. He bounced plays outside, he ran up the middle, he broke tackles and with each run, Alexander killed the will of Auburn’s defense while igniting more energy into the Tide’s group.
Defensively, Alabama turned up its pressure on the Tigers’ passing game.
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When the ball got back to the Tide and Alexander, one could hear the air being let out of Auburn. Alexander’s second score came with 7:02 left in regulation, and it gave Alabama a 22-14 lead. Auburn continued to fight and with a made field goal from Damon Duval, it pulled to within five of Alabama (22-17). Unfortunately, the Tigers could not recover the onside kick and Alexander put the final nail in the coffin with a score. Despite not being fully healthy, he pushed his team to its first win over Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Alabama took the 28-17 victory and dominated Florida by a score of 34-7 in the SEC Championship, during the following week. In his final Iron Bowl, Alexander demonstrated the heart of a champion.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
