Try and try as he may, the security guard at Jordan-Hare Stadium could hold no longer.
He stood in front of the gate that separated the student section from the field and after about 30 seconds of unbridled pandemonium, he glanced around at the madness that had ensued and finally decided to let them through, fist pumping and high-fiving them as they streamed onto the field in euphoric celebration.
Chris Davis’ 100-plus-yard field goal return for a touchdown as time expired sent the Auburn faithful in attendance into a frenzy and left Alabama’s silent and stunned. Davis’ run capped an improbable Iron Bowl that more than lived up to its billing as the greatest matchup between these two storied rivals.
No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Auburn slugged it out for 59 minutes and 59 seconds until freshman kicker Adam Griffith – relieving senior Cade Foster who had missed three field goals in the game – attempted a 56-yard field goal that fell short and into Davis’ arms.
Davis ran the kick out of the end zone, cut up the left sideline and was gone. Alabama had seven offensive linemen on the field – plus Griffith and punter Cody Mandell – in its field goal formation and didn’t have the athletes to chase down Davis.
The result was a 34-28 Alabama loss, a second straight miracle finish for Auburn and an Iron Bowl that will be remembered as one of the greatest finishes in college football and sports history.
“First time I’ve ever lost a game that way,” coach Nick Saban said after the game. “First time I’ve ever seen a game lost that way.”
Alabama almost didn’t attempt the field goal to begin with.
With the game tied, running back T.J. Yeldon sprinted out of bounds on what was initially the last play of regulation. It looked like the Iron Bowl would go to overtime for the first time in series history. But Saban challenged the ruling and was given an extra second that ended up being his and Alabama’s doom.
“[Griffith] makes them from 60 in practice,” Saban said. “So, there was a shot. We had the wind behind us. We had the wind in the fourth quarter. He didn’t hit it great, but we still should have covered it, and the game shouldn’t have ended that way.”
The Crimson Tide also had multiple chances to put the game away early and avoid a game-winning field goal altogether.
Quarterback AJ McCarron hit Amari Cooper on a 99-yard touchdown pass to give Alabama a 7-point, fourth-quarter lead. Foster missed wide right on a field goal that would have given Alabama a 10-point lead. Saban later declined another field goal attempt from the 14-yard line, and Yeldon was stuffed up the middle on fourth-and-1.
The Alabama defense continued to hold, and Foster was given a third attempt late in the fourth quarter. It was blocked. Auburn tied the game on the following possession.
“I don’t ever like to say I don’t have confidence in a player. But I think the percentages were we would make the first down,” Saban said about the call to go for it on fourth down. “We’ve been a very good short yardage team all year. It didn’t work out that way. Myself and a lot of other people would probably say we should have kicked a field goal there. But we had another field goal from the same spot that we missed. So you can’t take it for granted that we would have made it.”
After the game, Alabama’s seniors looked ahead to what would be their final game of the season. The Crimson Tide will now await its bowl fate, which will be announced next Sunday on ESPN. Barring all BCS hell breaking loose, Alabama will likely play in the Sugar or Orange Bowl – hardly a disappointing way to end the season.
But the sting of an unthinkable loss will linger much longer.
“The chances of that happening in college football are rare,” senior wide receiver Kevin Norwood said. “And it happened tonight. And they got it by luck. Whatever. It happens. Life goes on. We’ve got to move on as a team.”
