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The Kick Six (also known as Kick Bama Kick) was the final play of the 78th
Iron Bowl The Alabama–Auburn football rivalry, better known as the Iron Bowl, is an American college football rivalry game between the University of Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn University Tigers, both charter members of the Southeastern Conf ...
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
game played on November 30, 2013, at
Jordan–Hare Stadium Pat Dye Field at Jordan–Hare Stadium (properly pronounced as ) is an American football stadium in Auburn, Alabama on the campus of Auburn University. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Auburn Tigers football, Auburn Tigers football ...
in
Auburn, Alabama Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama. The population was 76,143 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a principal city of the Auburn metropolitan area, Alabama, Aubu ...
. The game featured the No. 1–
ranked A ranking is a relationship between a set of items, often recorded in a list, such that, for any two items, the first is either "ranked higher than", "ranked lower than", or "ranked equal to" the second. In mathematics, this is known as a weak ...
and two-time defending national champion
Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the Na ...
(11–0, 7–0 in the SEC) as a 10-point favorite over the No. 4-ranked
Auburn Tigers The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) a ...
(10–1, 6–1 in the SEC). The game had significant postseason implications, with both teams ranked in the top 5 and a berth to the
SEC Championship Game The SEC Championship Game is an annual American football game that has determined the Southeastern Conference's season champion since 1992. For its first 32 seasons, the championship game pitted the Eastern Division regular season champion again ...
and, potentially, the
BCS National Championship Game The BCS National Championship Game was a postseason college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), first played in the 1998 college football season as one of four des ...
, at stake. After falling behind in the 2nd quarter and then again in the 4th, Auburn rallied to tie the game at 28–28 with 32 seconds remaining. After the ensuing kickoff, Alabama quickly moved to the Auburn 38-yard line, at which point the clock ran out, seemingly sending the game to overtime. Alabama coach
Nick Saban Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. ( ; born October 31, 1951) is an American sportscaster and former Professional gridiron football, professional and college football coach. He serves as an analyst for ESPN's ''College GameDay (football TV program), Colleg ...
challenged the timekeeping call and one second was put back on the clock after a video review. The Crimson Tide lined up for a potential game-winning 57-yard
field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. Consequently, ...
and the kick was short, allowing Auburn's Chris Davis, who had been positioned near the goal line, to catch the ball just in front of the goal posts. Davis ran across the entire field through players from both teams to the opposite
end zone The end zone is the scoring area on the field, according to gridiron-based codes of football. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on the opposite side of the field ...
, improbably scoring the winning
touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...
for Auburn on the last play of the game. The game was played in front of a sellout crowd of 87,451 and televised nationwide on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
, posting an 11.8
rating A rating is an evaluation or assessment of something, in terms of a metric (e.g. quality, quantity, a combination of both,...). Rating or rating system may also refer to: Business and economics * Credit rating, estimating the credit worthiness ...
with over 13 million viewers during the final half-hour, making it the most watched regular season game of the 2013 college football season. Some sportswriters have argued that Davis' return is the single greatest moment in college football history. At the
2014 ESPY Awards The 2014 ESPY Awards, the 22nd annual ceremony of the ESPY Awards, was held on July 16, 2014, at the Peacock Theater, Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, and broadcast by ESPN. The event was hosted by Drake (musician), Drake. Winners and nominees ...
, it was named the best play and the best game of the year in all of North American sports. In the years following the game, the name "Kick Six", a variant of the term " pick-six", has been commonly used to identify both the final play and the game. Following the game, Alabama played in the
Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed only ...
, falling to
Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
45–31. Auburn won the
SEC Championship Game The SEC Championship Game is an annual American football game that has determined the Southeastern Conference's season champion since 1992. For its first 32 seasons, the championship game pitted the Eastern Division regular season champion again ...
and went on to play in the
BCS National Championship Game The BCS National Championship Game was a postseason college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), first played in the 1998 college football season as one of four des ...
, where they lost to
Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...
, 34–31.


Background

The football programs representing the
University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...
and
Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...
first met in 1893 and have played every year since 1948. Over time the two in-state foes developed a rivalry (culminating every year at the
Iron Bowl The Alabama–Auburn football rivalry, better known as the Iron Bowl, is an American college football rivalry game between the University of Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn University Tigers, both charter members of the Southeastern Conf ...
) that is considered to be one of the best and fiercest in all of college football. Entering the game, Alabama held the series lead with a 42-34-1 record. The two teams came into the 2013 season following drastically different 2012 seasons. Despite an upset at the hands of
Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...
,
Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
ultimately finished as SEC champions after a close game against the
Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The offic ...
and went on to soundly defeat Notre Dame 42–14 for their second consecutive national title, and their third in four years, cementing themselves as a
dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...
under head coach
Nick Saban Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. ( ; born October 31, 1951) is an American sportscaster and former Professional gridiron football, professional and college football coach. He serves as an analyst for ESPN's ''College GameDay (football TV program), Colleg ...
. Meanwhile, two years after their own National Championship victory, the
Auburn Tigers The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) a ...
suffered through their worst season in 60 years, finishing 3–9 with an 0–8 SEC record, capped by a 49–0 loss to Alabama in the 2012 Iron Bowl–their second consecutive blowout loss in the game. Head coach
Gene Chizik Eugene C. Chizik Jr. (born December 28, 1961) is an American football coach who was most recently the defensive coordinator and Assistant Head Coach for Defense at North Carolina. A veteran of the coaching ranks, Chizik previously was UNC's defen ...
was fired at the end of the season in favor of
Arkansas State Arkansas State University (A-State or ASU) is a public research university in Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States. It is the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System and the second-largest university in the state. The university ...
head coach and former Auburn offensive coordinator
Gus Malzahn Arthur Gustav Malzahn III (; born October 28, 1965) is an American college football coach who is the offensive coordinator at Florida State. He was the head coach at the University of Central Florida ( UCF) from 2021 to 2024, Auburn University fr ...
. Alabama entered the 2013 season ranked #1 and remained at the top of the polls for the entire season, rolling through their schedule with relative ease, winning all but one of their games (
Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...
) by more than 10 points. Auburn, on the other hand, entered the season unranked and did not enter the AP Poll until the midpoint of the season. Auburn's season was defined by a series of come-from-behind wins and close finishes. Auburn defeated
Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States. It is classified among "R ...
in September on a late touchdown pass. The following month, No. 24 Auburn came from behind on the road to beat No. 7 Texas A&M. Following the victory against Texas A&M, Auburn was ranked #11 in the AP poll. Two weeks before the Iron Bowl, No. 7 Auburn defeated
rival A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
with a tipped
Hail Mary pass A Hail Mary pass is a very long forward pass in American football, typically made in desperation, with a very small chance of achieving a completion (American football), completion. Due to the difficulty of a completion with this pass, it makes r ...
known as the "
Prayer at Jordan–Hare The Prayer at Jordan-Hare was a touchdown from a Hail Mary pass thrown during a college football game between the Auburn Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs, played on November 16, 2013, at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn in the 117th installment of the ...
", setting the stage for a highly ranked Iron Bowl matchup. Alabama was predicted by analysts to conclude the 2013–14 season with a BCS record third straight national title, their fourth in five years. The winner of the previous four Iron Bowls (2009–2012) went on to win the national championship: Alabama in 2009, 2011, and 2012, and Auburn in 2010. Entering the 2013 Iron Bowl, Alabama and Auburn were ranked No. 1 and No. 4 respectively in the BCS rankings, making it only the second matchup in the history of the rivalry to feature two Top 5 teams, and the highest-ranked Iron Bowl ever. It was also the first Iron Bowl in which both teams were playing for a berth to the SEC Championship. Alabama entered the game undefeated in the previous three years and 24 days in games played outside of their home field in
Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...
, their last loss prior to those 18 consecutive road victories coming on November 6, 2010, at
LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...
. With Alabama favored by 10 points, Auburn was a decided underdog in the eyes of most analysts. Marq Burnett of the Alabama based ''
Anniston Star ''The Anniston Star'' is the daily newspaper serving Anniston, Alabama, and the surrounding six-county region. Average Sunday circulation in September 2004 was 26,747. However, by 2020 it was approximately half of this. The newspaper is locally ...
'' went as far as to list seven reasons why Auburn could not beat Alabama, including Alabama's tough run defense, perceived unstoppable offense, and the superior coaching skills of
Nick Saban Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. ( ; born October 31, 1951) is an American sportscaster and former Professional gridiron football, professional and college football coach. He serves as an analyst for ESPN's ''College GameDay (football TV program), Colleg ...
over
Gus Malzahn Arthur Gustav Malzahn III (; born October 28, 1965) is an American college football coach who is the offensive coordinator at Florida State. He was the head coach at the University of Central Florida ( UCF) from 2021 to 2024, Auburn University fr ...
. Joel Erickson of ''
The Birmingham News ''The Birmingham News'' was the principal newspaper for Birmingham, Alabama, United States in the latter half of the 20th century and the first quarter of the 21st. The paper was owned by Advance Publications and was a daily newspaper from its ...
'' was one of the few writers to pick Auburn, predicting a score of 31–28. Similar predictions were shared during
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
's '' College GameDay'', which was broadcast live from outside
Jordan–Hare Stadium Pat Dye Field at Jordan–Hare Stadium (properly pronounced as ) is an American football stadium in Auburn, Alabama on the campus of Auburn University. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Auburn Tigers football, Auburn Tigers football ...
prior to the game. The program's panel of
Kirk Herbstreit Kirk Edward Herbstreit (; born August 19, 1969) is an American sportscaster and former college football player. He serves as an analyst for ESPN's ''College GameDay (football TV program), College GameDay'', a television program covering college f ...
,
David Pollack David M. Pollack (born June 19, 1982) is an American college football analyst and former player who was a linebacker two seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Georgia, was a three-time ...
, and
Lee Corso Lee Richard Corso (born August 7, 1935) is an American sports broadcaster and college football analyst for ESPN and a former coach. He has been an analyst on ESPN's '' College GameDay'' program since its inception in 1987. Corso served as the he ...
, as well as
Paul Finebaum Paul Finebaum (born July 26, 1955) is an American sports author, former columnist, and television-radio personality. His primary focus is sports in the Southeast United States. After Finebaum spent many years as a reporter, columnist, and spor ...
, unanimously picked Alabama to win the game. Auburn alumnus and ''
NBA on TNT The ''NBA on TNT'' is an American presentation of National Basketball Association (NBA) games, produced by TNT Sports (formerly known as Turner Sports and later Warner Bros. Discovery Sports). In the United States, the TNT cable network held ...
'' personality
Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on NBA on TNT, TNT and CBS Sports. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "the Bread Truck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", ...
, who appeared as a celebrity guest, went against the panel and chose Auburn to win the game.


Game recap


First quarter

The game began with Auburn's
Cody Parkey Cody Parkey (born February 19, 1992) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Auburn Tigers and was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an ...
kicking off to Alabama's Christion Jones, who returned the kick to the Alabama 24-yard line. On the game's first play from scrimmage, Alabama
running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...
T.J. Yeldon ran for 31 yards into Auburn territory. Alabama then
drove Drove may refer to: * Drovers' road, a route for driving livestock on foot * Past tense verb of driving * Drove chisel, tool used by stonemasons for smoothing off roughly finished stones * Drove, a group of hares * Drove, a number of cattle driven ...
to the Auburn 26-yard line before Yeldon was stopped on 3rd and 2. On 4th down,
Cade Foster Cade Foster (born March 10, 1991) is an American former college football placekicker. He played for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He later completed law school, and is now the County Attorney for McCracken County in Kentucky. Early life Foster atte ...
attempted a 44-yard
field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. Consequently, ...
for the Tide, but narrowly missed left. On Auburn's first offensive snap
Corey Grant Corey Grant (born December 22, 1976) is the head coach for the Carleton Ravens football team of U Sports. He is a former professional wide receiver in the Canadian Football League where he played for 11 years and won two Grey Cup championships. ...
would run for 14 yards to the Auburn 42-yard line. The Tigers drive would soon stall out, with
Ricardo Louis Ricardo Louis (born March 23, 1994) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Auburn and was selected by the Clev ...
dropping a slightly off target deep pass on 3rd down, forcing a punt. Alabama was then held to seven yards, going
three-and-out A down in gridiron football is an attempt by the offensive team to run a play to advance the ball, while the defending team simultaneously attempts to halt their advance. The down is a distinguishing characteristic of the game compared to oth ...
. After getting the ball back, Auburn's offense moved down the field with a seven-play, 66-yard drive capped off by a 45-yard
touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...
run by
quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
Nick Marshall Nicholas Deshawn Marshall Sr. (born June 30, 1992) is an American professional football cornerback. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL), following the 2015 NFL draft. He play ...
to give Auburn a 7–0 lead. It was the Tigers' first offensive touchdown against Alabama since 2010. On the ensuing drive, Alabama again went three-and-out and punted. Auburn's offensive spark was short-lived as the Tigers gained just 8 yards on their next drive and were forced to punt the ball back to Alabama. The quarter ended with Auburn leading 7–0.


Second quarter

Following a slow start in the first quarter, Alabama stormed back quickly with an 11-play, 67-yard touchdown drive culminating with an
A.J. McCarron Raymond Anthony "A. J." McCarron Jr. (born September 13, 1990) is an American professional football quarterback. He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, becoming the first quarterback to win consecutive BCS National Championshi ...
touchdown pass to Jalston Fowler to tie the game 7–7. On the next drive,
Landon Collins Landon Alexander Collins (born January 10, 1994) is an American former professional football player who was a safety and linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he was a pa ...
forced and recovered a
fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...
of Auburn running back
Tre Mason Trence Mason (born August 6, 1993) is an American former professional football running back. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for the St. Louis Rams from 2014 to 2016. He played college football for the Auburn Tigers, earning fir ...
, giving the Tide the ball back with favorable field position. Alabama capitalized on the turnover with McCarron throwing his second touchdown pass of the quarter, this time to
Kevin Norwood Kevin Norwood (born September 23, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft. He play ...
to make the score 14–7. The Tigers' woes continued on the following drive, losing 9 yards, going three and out, and punting the ball back to the Tide. Alabama took just five plays to drive the length of the field with Yeldon scoring on a 1-yard rush to move the score to 21–7 in favor of Alabama. On the following drive, the Auburn offense came back to life with a 40-yard Tre Mason rush sparking an 81-yard drive ending in a touchdown run by Mason to cut the deficit to 21–14 in favor of Alabama at
halftime In several team sports, matches are played in two halves. Half-time (also written halftime or half time) is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match. Typically, after half-time, teams swap ends of the field of play in or ...
.


Third quarter

Under Saban, Alabama had a record of 73–3 when leading at halftime. Auburn received the kickoff in the second half and drove 69 yards to tie the game 21–21 on a C.J. Uzomah touchdown reception. On the following drive Alabama failed to gain a yard and punted the ball back to Auburn. Auburn drove into Alabama territory before stalling out and punting, downing the punt at the Alabama 1-yard line. On their first two plays of the drive, Alabama would gain just one yard. Facing a 3rd and 9 from their own 2-yard line, McCarron found
Amari Cooper Amari Cooper (born June 17, 1994) is an American professional American football, football wide receiver. He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide football, Alabama Crimson Tide, winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top rec ...
for a 54-yard completion to extend the drive. Alabama then drove to the Auburn 22, where on 1st down, McCarron threw to a streaking Cooper in the end zone but Cooper dropped the would-be touchdown. Following the drop Alabama picked up another first down to reach the Auburn 11-yard line as the quarter came to the a close.


Fourth quarter

Alabama's drive came to a halt following two incomplete passes and a
false start In sports, a false start is a disallowed start, usually due to a movement by a participant before (or in some cases after) being signaled or otherwise permitted by the rules to start. Depending on the sport and the event, a false start can resu ...
penalty that moved the offense back five yards, nullifying the first successful field goal attempt of the game. The Crimson Tide then missed their second field goal of the game. Later in the quarter another Auburn punt was downed at the Alabama 1-yard line. McCarron then threw a 99-yard touchdown pass to Cooper, giving Alabama a 28–21 lead with 10:28 remaining in the game. It was the longest pass play in Crimson Tide football history. On the next drive Auburn faced a 4th and 1 on their own 35-yard line. Marshall kept the ball on a
read option An option offense is an American football offensive system in which a key player (usually the quarterback) has several "options" of how each play will proceed based upon the actions of the defense. Traditionally, option-based offenses rely on Rus ...
play but failed to gain the yard needed, and Auburn turned the ball over on downs. Alabama started the ensuing drive with excellent field position, and was soon faced with a 4th and 1 on the Auburn 13-yard line. Rather than attempting a short field goal, Nick Saban elected to try and go for a touchdown on 4th down, likely due to the two missed field goals by
Cade Foster Cade Foster (born March 10, 1991) is an American former college football placekicker. He played for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He later completed law school, and is now the County Attorney for McCracken County in Kentucky. Early life Foster atte ...
earlier in the game. On the 4th-down try, Yeldon was stopped at the line of scrimmage by true freshman defensive end Carl Lawson and Alabama, like Auburn on the previous drive, turned the ball over on downs. Auburn started the next drive deep in their own territory, and following a
sack A sack usually refers to a rectangular-shaped bag. Sack may also refer to: Bags * Flour sack * Gunny sack * Hacky sack, sport * Money sack * Paper sack * Sleeping bag * Stuff sack * Knapsack Other uses * Bed, a slang term * Sack (band), ...
, were faced with a 3rd and 19. On 3rd down, Ricardo Louis broke free downfield, but Marshall's pass was slightly overthrown, falling incomplete off of Louis's fingertips, forcing the Tigers to punt. Following a 25-yard punt return by Christion Jones, Alabama once again started a drive deep in Auburn territory with a chance to take a two-possession lead, this time at the 25-yard line. Alabama went three-and-out before Foster had his 44-yard field goal blocked, his third missed field goal of the game. Auburn got the ball off the blocked field goal trailing 28-21 with 2:41 left in the game, and drove to the Alabama 39-yard line in six plays.


Final 32 seconds

With 32 seconds remaining, Nick Marshall scrambled to his left. As he was nearing the
line of scrimmage In gridiron football, a line of scrimmage is an invisible transverse line (across the width of the field) beyond which a team cannot cross until the next play has begun. Its location is based on the spot where the ball is placed after the end ...
, Alabama corner Ha Ha Clinton-Dix ran toward Marshall to attempt a tackle, leaving receiver
Sammie Coates Sammie Coates Jr. (born March 31, 1993) is an American former professional football wide receiver. He currently serves as the head coach at Columbia High School in Huntsville, Alabama, a position he has held since 2025. He played college footbal ...
open; Marshall quickly tossed the ball to Coates just before crossing the line of scrimmage for a game-tying 39-yard touchdown. On the ensuing possession, with seven seconds left in the game, Alabama ran to Auburn's 38-yard line as T. J. Yeldon was knocked out of bounds by
defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...
Chris Davis while the game clock expired. Saban argued to the referees that Yeldon had stepped out of bounds with one second left in regulation. Saban's argument was validated by the instant replay officials, who put one second back on the clock. Rather than take a
knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...
and go to
overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...
, Alabama attempted to win the game with a 57-yard field goal, this time with freshman Adam Griffith taking the kick instead of the struggling Foster. Before the kick, Auburn took a timeout in an attempt to ice the kicker. Auburn's defensive coordinator, Ellis Johnson, doubted Alabama would make the long field goal and suggested that a speedy player stand in the end zone with the potential to return a missed field goal. Malzahn then put Chris Davis, who doubled as Auburn's
punt returner A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punt (gridiron football), punts and kickoff (gridiron football), kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusivel ...
, in the end zone for the return in the event of a miss. As the field goal attempt fell short, Davis fielded the ball nine yards deep in the end zone and ran down the left sideline. Due to Alabama's field goal unit being made up mostly of heavy
offensive linemen In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line (D ...
, and strong blocking by Auburn, Davis ran untouched all the way to the opposite end zone as time expired to win the game 34–28, causing Auburn fans to storm the field in celebration. The crowd reaction during the games final play registered on seismographs across the state of Alabama, in a manner similar to activity registered during the 1988 Auburn–LSU "
Earthquake Game The Earthquake Game was a college football game in which the crowd reaction after an important play registered on a demonstration seismograph. Played in front of a crowd of 79,431 at Louisiana State University's Tiger Stadium on October 8, 19 ...
".


Scoring summary


Broadcaster calls

Commentators
Verne Lundquist Merton Laverne Lundquist Jr. (born July 17, 1940) is an American former sportscaster known for his long career with CBS Sports. Early life Lundquist was born in Duluth, Minnesota. He graduated from Austin High School in Austin, Texas, before ...
and
Gary Danielson Gary Dennis Danielson (born September 10, 1951) is an American college football commentator and former football quarterback. Danielson played college football for Purdue from 1969 to 1972. He led the Big Ten Conference in 1971 with a 57.8% ...
called the game on television nationally for CBS's SEC coverage. Lundquist's call of the last play: Gary Danielson later compared the game to the legendary
Miracle on Ice The "Miracle on Ice" was an ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. It was played between the hosting United States and the Soviet Union on February 22, 1980, during the medal round of the men's ice hockey t ...
, equating Auburn's upset of Alabama to the amateur USA hockey team defeating the powerhouse Soviet Union team during the
1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States. Lake Placid was elected ...
. In a 2020 interview, Lundquist called the play the greatest sporting moment he ever witnessed. Commentators
Rod Bramblett Roderick Jon Bramblett Jr. (November 5, 1965 – May 25, 2019) was an American sportscaster who served as radio play-by-play announcer for Auburn Tigers football, basketball, and baseball. He received national media attention during the 2013 foo ...
and Stan White called the game on radio for the Auburn
IMG Sports IMG, originally known as the International Management Group, is a global sports, fashion, events and media company headquartered in New York City. The company manages athletes and fashion celebrities; owns, operates and commercially represents ...
Network. Bramblett's call of the last play: Bramblett's passionate call of the final play quickly went viral, garnering him national media attention and resulted in Bramblett being named the Sports Broadcaster of the Year by
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
. The call has since been assessed as one of the greatest announcer calls in recent sports history, being described by the
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
as "the Call of a Lifetime".


Statistics


Aftermath

Auburn's win not only ended Alabama's bid for a third straight national title, but moved Auburn to third in the BCS standings. The Tigers beat
Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
59–42 in the SEC Championship Game. After #2
Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...
's loss to
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...
in the Big Ten Championship Game, Auburn moved into second place in the BCS and secured a place in the
BCS National Championship Game The BCS National Championship Game was a postseason college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), first played in the 1998 college football season as one of four des ...
, where they ultimately lost to the
Florida State Seminoles The Florida State Seminoles are the athletic teams representing Florida State University (FSU) located in Tallahassee, Florida. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I, prima ...
34–31. Auburn's loss to Florida State ended the SEC's streak of seven consecutive national championship victories. At the conclusion of the season, Auburn's Gus Malzahn won the SEC Coach of the Year award and received a six-year contract extension worth $3.85m per year. Alabama's A.J. McCarron and Auburn's Tre Mason were 2013
Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...
finalists with McCarron finishing 2nd and Mason finishing 6th. Immediately following the game, some sportswriters began describing the game as among the greatest in college football history, with Davis's return being described as one of the sport's greatest moments.
Pat Forde Pat Forde is a sports journalist who is a national columnist for ''Sports Illustrated''. He previously worked for ESPN, ''The Courier-Journal'' in Louisville, Kentucky, and '' Yahoo Sports''. Personal life and education Forde is a native of C ...
, then a columnist for
Yahoo! Sports Yahoo! Sports is a sports news website launched by Yahoo! on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from Stats Perform. It employs numerous writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American major sport. ...
, stated that:
It was, quite simply, the most astounding ending ever to a college football game. I was at the
Boise State Boise State University (BSU) is a public research university in Boise, Idaho, United States. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees It ...
Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
Fiesta Bowl The Fiesta Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area since 1971. From its beginning until 2006, the game was hosted at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has be ...
in 2007; this tops it. More at stake, and even more shock value on the final play (minus the player proposing to his girlfriend on the field).
An article in ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' described the back-to-back victories with the analogy that lightning struck twice, with the Georgia game being "one of the greatest finishes to a college football game" and the Alabama upset "perhaps the greatest play in college football history". ''
The Birmingham News ''The Birmingham News'' was the principal newspaper for Birmingham, Alabama, United States in the latter half of the 20th century and the first quarter of the 21st. The paper was owned by Advance Publications and was a daily newspaper from its ...
'' called the Auburn victory their "latest miracle finish ... even more stunning than the first" while the ''
News & Record The ''News & Record'' is an American, English language newspaper with the largest circulation serving Guilford County, North Carolina, and the surrounding region. It is based in Greensboro, North Carolina, and produces local sections for Greensbo ...
'' described the game as "possibly the greatest college football game ever played." In 2015, college football fans voted the final play the greatest in college football history. At the
2014 ESPY Awards The 2014 ESPY Awards, the 22nd annual ceremony of the ESPY Awards, was held on July 16, 2014, at the Peacock Theater, Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, and broadcast by ESPN. The event was hosted by Drake (musician), Drake. Winners and nominees ...
, which recognized the greatest achievements sporting achievements in 2013, the game won the award for Best Game. The game-winning touchdown return was also named Best Play at the ESPYs, beating out three other nominees including Auburn's
Prayer at Jordan-Hare The Prayer at Jordan-Hare was a touchdown from a Hail Mary pass thrown during a college football game between the Auburn Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs, played on November 16, 2013, at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn in the 117th installment of the ...
against Georgia.


Naming the game

After the game, the press identified Alabama's
Achilles' heel An Achilles' heel (or Achilles heel) is a weakness despite overall strength, which can lead to downfall. While the mythological origin refers to a physical vulnerability, idiomatic references to other attributes or qualities that can lead to do ...
: the kicking game. In reference to their four unsuccessful field goal attempts, writers called the game "Kick Bama Kick", in reference to the 1972 Iron Bowl, nicknamed " Punt Bama Punt". At 6:43 p.m., just 18 minutes after of the conclusion of the game, Jon Solomon of ''
The Birmingham News ''The Birmingham News'' was the principal newspaper for Birmingham, Alabama, United States in the latter half of the 20th century and the first quarter of the 21st. The paper was owned by Advance Publications and was a daily newspaper from its ...
'' posted an article titled "Kick Bama Kick", but included an
online poll An open-access poll is a type of opinion poll in which a nonprobability sample of participants self-select into participation. The term includes call-in, mail-in, and some online polls. The most common examples of open-access polls ask people to ...
allowing readers to select their favorite moniker. Among seven proposed titles, "Kick Bama Kick" won by a landslide. Ryan Black of the '' Ledger–Enquirer'' in
Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee ...
titled an article "Kick, Bama, kick" within hours of the game's completion. Frank Cooney of
Yahoo! Sports Yahoo! Sports is a sports news website launched by Yahoo! on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from Stats Perform. It employs numerous writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American major sport. ...
, who noted that the game will be "forever secured" in the discussion for the most dramatic college football game in history, also titled his piece "Kick Bama Kick" that evening. In the years following the game, the "Kick Six" has emerged as the most enduring name for the game, used by most media outlets, Auburn, and the
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
to refer to both the play and the game. The term "Kick Six" has since been used to refer to other instances of blocked or missed field goals being returned for a touchdown, as in an
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
game on November 30, 2015, by the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
against the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
. The term is a play on the term " pick six", which refers to an interception being returned for a touchdown.


References


External links


ESPN box score of the 2013 Iron Bowl
*
2013 Iron Bowl ending HIGH DEFINITION Auburn beats Alabam

2013 Iron Bowl – #1 Alabama vs. #4 Auburn (HD)

Auburn vs. Alabama 2013 – Winning TD (Auburn Announcers)

#Auburn's Final Play in Iron Bowl: Chris Davis Return for TD
{{College Football on CBS Iron Bowl Alabama Crimson Tide football games Auburn Tigers football games 2013 Southeastern Conference football season 2013 in sports in Alabama American college football incidents Nicknamed sporting events November 2013 sports events in the United States