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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In coming down to the No. 2 game of this intense rivalry, the 2013 Iron Bowl had an ending for the ages.
Lead up to the Game
Alabama is coming off back-to-back national championship seasons in 2011 and 2012.
Nick Saban coached the team to wins over Auburn in both Iron Bowls, and it was looking for a three-peat. The Crimson Tide was 11-0 entering the 2013 matchup and carried the No. 1 ranking in the nation. Saban’s team was averaging 38.2 points per game offensively, while giving up 13.9 points/game on defense. It had beaten a pair of top-25 opponents and scored at least 40 points in six games that year. For Auburn, the Tigers were 10-1 and were very confident at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
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Its offense totaled at least 40 points in five games, prior to the Iron Bowl, including 43 points in a 43-38 victory over Georgia on a Hail Mary pass from Nick Marshall to Ricardo Louis. Both Alabama and Auburn were in contention for an SEC title.
Significance of the Game
He was an offensive coordinator in Auburn’s 2010 national championship season, but the 2013 campaign was Gus Malzahn’s first year at head coach. After cutting ties from Gene Chizik in 2012 (3-9 season), the Tigers were looking for a fresh start.
It wanted a good year, but it got an incredible one instead.
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Not only did Malzahn get his first win over Saban as a head coach, but it came in the most unorthodox way. The “Kick Six” brought more fans into the Iron Bowl rivalry, and it propelled Auburn to its first SEC Championship since Cam Newton in 2010.
The Tigers went on to play in the 2014 BCS National Championship Game, where it lost to Florida State.
The 2013 Iron Bowl Game
The energy was high on the plains of Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Whoever won the matchup between Alabama and Auburn would represent the SEC Western Division in the championship game, during the following week. Nick Marshall put the Tigers on the board first with a 45-yard touchdown run, capping off a 66-yard drive in seven plays. While the Crimson Tide did not score in the opening period, AJ McCarron and Alabama’s offense exploded for 21 points in the second quarter. McCarron found Jalston Fowler and Kevin Norwood on scoring passes, and T.J. Yeldon dove into the end zone for a 1-yard score.
Tre Mason closed the gap for Auburn with a 1-yard touchdown, to finish an 81-yard drive in seven plays.
Alabama took a 21-14 lead into the break, but Iron Bowls are always interesting in the second half.
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Marshall tied the game for Auburn with a touchdown strike to C.J. Uzomah for 13 yards in the third quarter. McCarron fired back for the Tide with a 99-yard bomb to Amari Cooper to start the fourth quarter. Alabama carried a 28-21 lead, when Malzahn dialed up one of those soul-crushing drives on the Tide’s defense. Auburn had a mixture of run, pass and tempo for 65 yards. The drive took seven plays and lasted two minutes, as Marshall found Sammie Coates for a 39-yard touchdown.
He was going to run with the ball; however, Marshall drew Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to him and floated the pass over his head into the arms of Coates. With the score tied at 28, we did not believe we were getting set up for the most dramatic finish in Iron Bowl history. After an incomplete pass from McCarron with 15 seconds left in the game, Yeldon ran the ball twice for gains of nine and 24 yards. When he went out of bounds on the 24-yard run, people thought the time had run out. The officials put one second back on the clock and instead of playing for overtime, Saban trotted Adam Griffith onto the field for a 57-yard field.
In practice, the redshirt freshman made kicks. Upon the ball leaving his foot, many thought he was going to make it.
As it came down, it ended up being short and Chris Davis caught the ball deep in the end zone.
He then proceeded to bring the ball out, Auburn had blockers set up, Davis found a seam and the rest is history. He returned a missed field goal 109 yards for a touchdown and Jordan-Hare Stadium went crazy.
Auburn won the game, 34-28, and it was one of the weirdest endings for Saban.
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Since the contest, the “Kick Six” is played on every television station for the Iron Bowl.
Alabama would go on to lose the Sugar Bowl to Oklahoma, 31-45, too. It would end its season at 11-2.
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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.
