November 30, 2013: Kick Six In the Iron Bowl
The annual football game between the University of Alabama, in Tuscaloosa, and Auburn University is called the Iron Bowl because of the iron and steel production in Alabama. The State's largest city, Birmingham, and 2 others, Leeds and Sheffield, are steel production cities, and were named after steel production cities in England, all of them in love with a game they call football, but which Americans call soccer.
Football became a way of life in Alabama. and the University of Alabama, the Crimson Tide, built a great program in the 1920s. Auburn's took longer to get going, with coach Ralph "Shug" Jordan (and that's pronounced JUR-din, not JOHR-din) leading them to a share of the 1957 National Championship with Ohio State.
Paul "Bear" Bryant, who had played on 'Bama's 1934 National Championship team, became their head coach in 1958, and, for many people, even outside the South, became the college football coach. He won more games than any coach before him, and more than most coaches since him. He won 6 National Championships, probably should have been awarded at least 1 more, made his houndstooth hat an icon of American sports, and inspired this joke: "In Alabama, an atheist is someone who doesn't believe in Bear Bryant."
In the 1980s, as Bryant retired and died, Pat Dye rebuilt the Auburn program. The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in Birmingham features a statue of three men: A generic football player, who by his facial features could be either black or white, with Bryant and Dye standing on either side of him, each with a hand on the player's shoulder pads.
Nick Saban, son of AFL Championship-winning Buffalo Bills coach Lou Saban, had won a National Championship at Louisiana State in 2003, and Alabama hired him in 2007. He won National Championships in 2009, 2011 and 2012. He went into the 2013 Iron Bowl 11-0, ranked Number 1 in the country. He had won away to Texas A&M when they were ranked Number 6, and that was the only team to come close to beating 'Bama to that point. He also beat his former team, LSU, when they were ranked Number 10.
Gus Malzahn became Auburn's head coach in 2013, after having been an assistant to Gene Chizik, including on Auburn's National Championship team of 2010. He got the Tigers to a 10-1 record, losing only to LSU, then ranked Number 6, away. Auburn went into the Iron Bowl ranked Number 4. But they were a 10-point underdog to Alabama.
It was understandable: Alabama was in the 1st tier of great college football programs, Auburn in the 2nd tier at best; and Alabama's glories, and their fans' teasing of Auburn as a rural "cow college" gave them an inferiority complex. To put it another way: Alabama hate losing to Auburn mainly because they hate losing, period; whereas Auburn could go 0-10 before the Iron Bowl, but if they win it, that makes it a successful season.
And so the 2013 Iron Bowl was set. Alabama came in ranked Number 1 in the country; Auburn, Number 4. The winner of the game would win the Southeastern Conference Western Division Championship, go to the SEC Championship Game, and have a good shot at the National Championship.
Auburn led 7-0 after the 1st quarter, but Alabama led 21-14 at the half. At the time, under Saban, 'Bama's record when leading at the half was 73-3. But Auburn tied it 21-21 after 3 quarters. Three times, once on a block, 'Bama missed field goals. But in the 4th quarter, Auburn downed a punt at the 'Bama 1-yard line, and A.J. McCarron threw a 99-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper. With 2:41 left, it was 28-21 Alabama.
With 32 seconds left, Nick Marshall threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Sammie Coates. Deciding that tying it and trying to win in overtime would be easier than attempting a 2-point conversion now, Malzahn had the extra point kicked, and it was 28-28.
Alabama had 1 more chance. With 7 seconds left, T.J. Yeldon advanced the ball to the Auburn 38, and the clock ran out. Saban asked for a replay review, saying the clock hadn't run out before Yeldon went out of bounds. The replay proved him right. Saban called for a field goal attempt, from 57 yards out.
According to the rules, if a field goal is missed, and the opposing team recovers it, it can be advanced. So Malzahn's defensive coordinator, Ellis Johnson, suggested putting a receiver in the end zone. Malzahn chose the team's main punt returner, Chris Davis.
Cade Foster, who had once kicked a 53-yard field goal, had missed 3 attempts in this game, 1 of them blocked. So Adam Griffith was sent in to try the 57-yarder. It was on target, but a little short, and Davis caught it, 9 yards deep in the end zone.
He started running straight ahead, then turned to his left, and ran down the sideline. Saban had made a critical mistake: Except for the kicker and the holder, the field goal unit was made up of all offensive linemen. No one had enough speed to catch him. He ran 109 yards, into the end zone. Final score: Auburn 34, Alabama 28.
(In NCAA history, only 1 other player had ever done that -- and it was earlier that year, for LSU, by future pro receiving star Odell Beckham Jr.)
Rod Bramblett had the call for Auburn's radio network:
Chris Davis is going to drop back into the end zone in single safety. Well, I guess if this thing comes up short, he can field it and run it out.
Alright, here we go. 56-yarder, it's got, no, it does not have the leg. And Chris Davis takes it in the back of the end zone. He'll run it out to the 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 45! There goes Davis! (His partner, former Auburn quarterback Stan White, shouts "Oh my God! Oh my God!") Davis is going to run it all the way back! Auburn's gonna win the football game! AUBURN'S GONNA WIN THE FOOTBALL GAME! He ran the missed field goal back! He ran it back 109 yards!
[fans streaming onto the field] They're not gonna keep them off the field tonight! Holy Cow! Oh, my God! Auburn wins! Auburn has won the Iron Bowl! Auburn has won the Iron Bowl in the most unbelievable fashion you will ever see! I cannot believe it! 34–28! And we thought "A Miracle in Jordan-Hare" was amazing! Oh, my Lord in Heaven!' Chris Davis just ran it 109 yards and Auburn is going to the Championship Game!
The crowd reaction registered on seismographs across the state of Alabama, in a manner similar to activity registered during the 1988 "Earthquake Game," a 7-6 LSU win over Auburn.
As returning an interception for a touchdown is known as a pick six, this became known as the Kick Six. It rivals California vs. Stanford, another nasty rivalry, and "The Play" in 1982, for the honor of the most famous kick return in football history. Certainly, no pro kick return is on this level, not even the Tennessee Titans' 2000 "Music City Miracle."
Auburn beat Missouri in the SEC Championship Game, but lost to Florida State in the National Championship Game.
Chris Davis played for the San Diego Chargers in 2014, and the San Francisco 49ers in 2015 and '16, but injuries cut short his playing career. He has since joined the coaching staff at an Alabama high school.
Adam Griffith received death threats for missing that kick. Death threats? It was 57 yards! On real grass, not artificial turf. And he was a freshman. It was hardly his fault he missed. How about blaming everybody else on offense for not getting into his range? Or for having 109 yards in which to stop the return and not stopping it? How about blaming Nick Saban for not warning about the possibility?
That game reminded a lot of people of why they loved football. But those threats are a reminder of how sick some people can be.
In 2014, Griffith kicked a game-tying field goal against LSU on the last play of the 4th quarter. Alabama won in overtime, 20–13. In 2015, he kicked a career-long 55-yard field goal against LSU. Later that season, he went 5-for-5 in the Iron Bowl, as Alabama beat Auburn, 29–13. And in that season's National Championship Game, against Clemson, he made a perfectly placed onside kick, to help the Crimson Tide achieve a 45–40 victory. Still, he was not selected in the NFL Draft, and went into the construction business in South Carolina.
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November 30, 2013 was a Saturday. Other noteworthy college football games played that day:
* Rivalry: Number 2 Florida State beat Florida, 37-7 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida.
* Rivalry: Number 3 Ohio State won a thriller against Michigan, 42-41 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
* Number 5 Missouri beat Number 19 Texas A&M, 28-21 at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri.
* Number 8 Stanford beat Number 25 Notre Dame, 27-20 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California.
* Number 9 Baylor beat Texas Christian (TCU), 41-38 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.
* Rivalry: Number 10 South Carolina beat Number 6 Clemson, 31-17 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina.
* Number 11 Michigan State beat Minnesota, 14-3 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.
* Rivalry: Number 13 Arizona State beat Arizona, 58-21 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.
* Number 14 Wisconsin lost to Penn State, 31-24 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.
* Rivalry: Number 22 UCLA beat Number 23, USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
* Rivalry: Number 24 Duke beat North Carolina, 27-25 at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
* Rivalry: Indiana beat Purdue, 56-36 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana.
* And Rutgers lost to Connecticut, 28-17 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut.
There were 7 games played in the NBA that day:
* The Brooklyn Nets beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 97-88 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis.
* The Washington Wizards beat the Atlanta Hawks, 108-101 at the Verizon Center (now the Capital One Arena) in Washington.
* The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls, 97-93 at the Quicken Loans Arena (now the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse) in Cleveland.
* The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Boston Celtics, 92-85 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.
* The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Dallas Mavericks, 112-106 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
* The Houston Rockets beat the San Antonio Spurs, 112-106 at the AT&T Center (now the Frost Bank Center) in San Antonio. James Harden led all scorers on the night with 31 points.
* The Utah Jazz beat the Phoenix Suns, 112-104 at the US Airways Center (now the Footprint Center) in Phoenix.
And there were 11 games played in the NHL:
* The New York Rangers beat the Vancouver Canucks, 5-2 at Madison Square Garden.
* The New York Islanders lost to the Washington Capitals, 3-2 at the Nassau Coliseum. Alexander Ovechkin won it with 2:53 left in overtime.
* The New Jersey Devils beat the Buffalo Sabres, 1-0 at the Prudential Center in Newark. Steve Bernier won it with 41 seconds left in overtime.
* In the opener of CBC's Saturday Hockey Night In Canada doubleheader, the Montreal Canadiens beat their arch-rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-2 at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
* The Boston Bruins beat the Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-1 at the TD Garden in Boston.
* The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Florida Panthers, 5-1 at the BB&T Center (now the Amerant Bank Arena) in the Miami suburb of Sunrise, Florida.
* The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Nashville Predators, 3-2 in a shootout at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
* The Colorado Avalanche beat the Minnesota Wild, 3-2 in a shootout at the Pepsi Center (now the Bell Arena) in Denver.
* The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Phoenix Coyotes, 5-2 at the Jobing.com Arena (now the Desert Diamond Arena) in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona.
* In the 2nd half of the HNIC doubleheader, the Calgary Flames beat the Los Angeles Kings, 2-1 at the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles.
* The San Jose Sharks beat the Anaheim Ducks, 4-3 in a shootout at the SAP Center in San Jose.
And in English soccer, whose Football Association includes 5 "member clubs' from adjoining Wales, North London team Arsenal beat Cardiff City, 3-0 at Cardiff City Stadium.
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