Kick Six

Background

The two teams came into the game after very different 2012 seasons. Despite an upset at the hands of Texas A&M, the Crimson Tide ultimately finished as SEC Champions after a close game against the Georgia Bulldogs and went on to soundly defeat Notre Dame 42-14 for their second consecutive national title, their third in four years. Meanwhile, two years after their own National Championship, the Auburn Tigers suffered through their worst season in 60 years, finishing 3-9 with an abysmal 0-8 SEC record, capped by a 49-0 loss to Alabama in the 2012 Iron Bowl. Head coach Gene Chizik was fired in favor of Arkansas State coach Gus Malzahn.

Alabama entered the season ranked #1 and remained at the top of the polls for the entire season, rolling through their schedule with relative ease; they won all but one of their games by more than 10 points. Auburn, on the other hand, entered the season unranked and didn't enter the AP Poll until the midpoint of the season. Auburn's season was defined by a series of come-from-behind wins and miraculous plays. Auburn defeated Mississippi State in September on a late touchdown pass. The following month, No. 24 Auburn came from behind to beat No. 7 Texas A&M and Johnny Manziel. Two weeks before the Iron Bowl, No. 7 Auburn defeated rival Georgia with a miraculous tipped Hail Mary pass known as the "Prayer at Jordan–Hare.", 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, with Alabama and Auburn ranked No. 1 and No. 4 respectively in the BCS standings, this was only the second matchup in the rivalry to feature two Top 5 teams, and the highest-ranked Iron Bowl ever. On November 27, 1971, No. 3 Alabama faced No. 5 Auburn at Legion Field in Birmingham, both teams undefeated. Alabama was also undefeated in the last three years and 24 days in games played outside of their home field in Tuscaloosa, their last loss prior to those 18 consecutive road victories coming on November 6, 2010 at LSU.

With Alabama favored by 10 points, Auburn was a decided underdog in the eyes of most analysts. Marq Burnett of The Anniston Star went as far as to list seven reasons why Auburn could not beat Alabama including Alabama's tough run defense and unstoppable offense, even the superior coaching skills of Nick Saban over Gus Malzahn. Joel Erickson of The Birmingham News was one of the few writers to pick Auburn, predicting a score of 31–28. Similar predictions were shared during ESPN's College GameDay, which was broadcast live from outside Jordan–Hare Stadium prior to the game. The program's panel of Kirk Herbstreit, David Pollack, and Lee Corso, as well as Paul Finebaum, unanimously picked Alabama to win the game. Auburn alumnus and NBA on TNT personality Charles Barkley, who appeared as a special guest, went against the panel and chose Auburn to win the game.

Coaches and players

First quarter

Alabama received the opening kickoff and drove to the Auburn 34-yard line, but missed a 44-yard field goal. Auburn's opening drive netted 20 yards and no points. Alabama was then held to seven yards, going three-and-out. Auburn then capped off a seven-play, 66-yard drive with a 45-yard touchdown run by Nick Marshall. It was the Tigers' first offensive touchdown against Alabama since 2010. The quarter ended with Auburn leading 7–0.

Second quarter

Alabama scored touchdowns on their first three possessions of the second quarter, with the first two on scoring passes by AJ McCarron; the first was a 67-yard drive, the second was 36 yards, and the third drive covered 56 yards. Alabama had scored 21 unanswered points. But Auburn scored late in the second quarter on a Tre Mason run, and the Crimson Tide led, 21–14, at the half.

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. Later in the quarter Alabama drove 88 yards to Auburn's 11 before the 3rd quarter came to a close.

Fourth quarter

Alabama's drive came to a halt following two incomplete passes, and a false start 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 an Auburn punt was downed at the Alabama 1-yard line. McCarron then threw a 99-yard touchdown pass to Amari 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. With 2:41 left in the game, and trailing 28–21, Auburn drove to the Alabama 39 in six plays.

Final 32 seconds

With 32 seconds remaining, the Tigers scored on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Marshall to Sammie Coates. 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 Chris Davis while the game clock expired. But Saban argued 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 and go to overtime, Alabama attempted to win the game with a 57-yard field goal and Auburn took a timeout. Auburn's defensive coordinator, Ellis Johnson, doubted Alabama would make the long field goal and suggested that a defensive back stand in the end zone with the potential to return a missed field goal. Malzahn then put punt returner Chris Davis in the end zone for the return. As the field goal attempt fell short, Davis fielded the ball nine yards deep in the end zone and ran down the sideline. With Alabama's field goal unit being made up mostly of offensive linemen, Davis ran all the way to the end zone to win the game 34–28. It was unofficially the longest missed field goal return in NCAA history, tying a 109-yard return earlier in the 2013 season by Odell Beckham of LSU. However, he was only credited with 100 yards; unlike the NFL, the NCAA does not count yardage inside the end zone for kick returns.

The crowd reaction registered on seismographs across the state of Alabama, in a manner similar to activity registered during the 1988 Auburn-LSU "Earthquake Game".

Broadcaster calls

Lundquist's call of the last play:

Gary Danielson would later compare the game to the legendary Miracle on Ice, equating Auburn's upset of Alabama to the amateur USA hockey team defeating the powerhouse Soviet Union team during the 1980 Winter Olympics. Danielson commented on the moment stating "I just think it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing and I'm very proud to have been a part of it."

Bramblett's call of the last play:

Gold's call of the last play:

Statistics

Alabama failed to score on six of their last seven drives as they lost their first road game in over three years. Alabama also missed 4 field goals in the game.

McCarron finished with 277 yards passing and three touchdowns for the Crimson Tide while Auburn's Marshall completed 11 passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns, rushing for 99 yards and a third touchdown. Neither quarterback threw an interception.

Alabama's Yeldon rushed for 141 yards and 1 touchdown while Mason amassed 164 yards and one touchdown for the Tigers, the most rushing yards for a single player against Alabama in 2013. Cooper caught six passes for 178 yards for the Crimson Tide and Auburn's Coates finished with 60 yards receiving. 39 of Coates's 60 yards came on the game-tying touchdown and 99 of Cooper's 168 yards came on the 99 yard touchdown reception in the beginning of the 4th quarter.

Auburn made 22 first downs while Alabama made 19. The Tigers converted 53% of their third-down attempts while the Crimson Tide converted 31%.

Aftermath

Auburn's win moved them to third in the BCS standings, ending Alabama's bid for a third straight national title. The Tigers beat Missouri 59-42 in the SEC Championship Game. After #2 Ohio State's defeat by Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game later that same day, following the SEC Championship, Auburn moved into second place and secured a place in the BCS National Championship Game, losing to the Florida State Seminoles 34–31. Auburn's loss ended the SEC's streak of seven national championships. 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 AJ McCarron and Auburn's Tre Mason were 2013 Heisman Trophy finalists, but the award was won by Florida State QB Jameis Winston. In the postseason, Alabama lost to the Oklahoma Sooners 45-31 in the 2014 Sugar Bowl.

Yahoo! Sports columnist Pat Forde stated:

It was, quite simply, the most astounding ending ever to a college football game. I was at the Boise State-Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl 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 described the back-to-back victories with the analogy that lightning struck twice, 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 called the Auburn victory their "latest miracle finish ... even more stunning than the first." The News & Record called the 2013 Iron Bowl possibly "the greatest college football game ever played." The website "Sports on Earth" ranked the Kick Six game third in their list of the best college football games of all time.

Naming the game

After the game, the press identified Alabama's Achilles' heel: 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 posted an article titled "Kick Bama Kick", but included an online poll 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 titled an article "Kick, Bama, kick" within hours of the game's completion. Frank Cooney of Yahoo! Sports, 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. One year after the game, Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports and Fox Sports referred to it as the "Kick Six".

The term "Kick Six" is also used, in general, to refer to other instances of blocked or missed field goals being returned for a touchdown, such as one occurring in an NFL game on November 30, 2015, as performed by the Baltimore Ravens against the Cleveland Browns.

Nominations and awards

At the 2014 ESPY Awards, recognizing the greatest achievements in 2013, the 2013 Iron Bowl won the award for "Best Game". The other two nominees were Game Five of the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals and the Indianapolis Colts first round playoff victory.

The game-winning touchdown return was named "Best Play" at the 2014 ESPYs. The play beat three other nominees including the play near the end of the game against Georgia.

Oddities

The crowd reaction to the game's final play registered on seismographs across the state of Alabama in a manner similar to activity registered during the 1988 Auburn-LSU "Earthquake Game".

Cremated human remains were discovered on the field inside Jordan-Hare Stadium by Auburn's grounds crew the Monday following the game.

During the post-game celebration on Pat Dye Field, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn's visor was stolen by a fan. The incident was caught on camera. The thief later issued an apology, however Auburn officials never responded to his offers to return the visor. The sweater vest Malzahn wore during the game was later auctioned off for charity.

A column on the game written the following week by Stanford student Winston Shi broke the single-day website traffic record for the Stanford Daily.