It’s been over a decade, but if you close your eyes and listen to the radio call from Rod Bramblett, you can still feel the literal shaking of Jordan-Hare Stadium. "Chris Davis is going to strip it! Chris Davis! No flags! Touchdown Auburn!" It wasn't just a game. Honestly, the Auburn football Iron Bowl 2013 was the moment the universe decided that logic no longer applied to the state of Alabama.
Most people remember the "Kick Six." How could you not? But the lead-up to that final second was a chaotic, grinding chess match that most fans have since blurred out because of the dopamine hit at the end. You had a Nick Saban-led Alabama dynasty that looked invincible and a Gus Malzahn "Year One" Auburn squad that was playing with house money after a dismal 3-9 season the year prior.
Nobody expected this. Seriously. Alabama came in ranked No. 1, hunting a three-peat. Auburn was No. 4, riding the high of the "Prayer at Jordan-Hare" against Georgia just weeks earlier. The stakes were simple: winner goes to the SEC Championship, loser goes home to wonder "what if" for the next 365 days.
The Strategic Nightmare Before the Miracle
Before we talk about the return, we have to talk about how Auburn even stayed in the building. Nick Saban’s defense was a brick wall, but Malzahn’s hurry-up no-huddle (HUNH) offense was the ultimate equalizer. It wasn't just about speed; it was about eye candy.
Nick Marshall, the quarterback who transitioned from a defensive back at Georgia to a JUCO star to the leader of the Tigers, was the perfect trigger man. He wasn't the most polished passer—everyone knew that—but his ability to read the backside defensive end on the zone read was elite. Auburn ran for 296 yards that night. Against Alabama. That basically never happened back then.
Cade Foster, Alabama’s kicker, had a nightmare of a game, missing three field goals. It’s easy to blame the kicker, but the pressure Auburn’s front seven put on AJ McCarron kept the Tide from ever truly pulling away. McCarron threw a 99-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper in the fourth quarter that should have been the dagger. Usually, when Bama goes up by seven late, the game is over.
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But 2013 Auburn was different. They were the "Team of Destiny," a term that usually feels like a sports cliché until you see a team actually refuse to die. With less than two minutes left, Nick Marshall rolled right, pulled the defense toward him, and flicked a pass to Sammie Coates for a game-tying touchdown.
The stadium was vibrating. People were crying. And then, the clock hit 0:00.
The Second That Changed College Football History
This is where the Auburn football Iron Bowl 2013 moved from a "great game" to a "cultural event."
Nick Saban argued for an extra second on the clock after T.J. Yeldon stepped out of bounds. He got it. He got exactly one second. Instead of playing for overtime, Saban opted to try a 57-yard field goal with freshman Adam Griffith. It was a gamble.
Gus Malzahn saw the personnel and made a move that often gets overlooked: he put Chris Davis, his best returner, in the back of the end zone.
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"I told our guys on the sideline, 'If he misses it, we're going to catch it and we're going to return it,'" Malzahn later recalled. Most coaches say that. Few actually expect a 100-plus yard return against an Alabama coverage unit made up of offensive linemen and heavy-footed specialists.
The kick was short. Davis caught it about an inch from the back line. He started running. He cut toward the Auburn sideline. He stepped around a diving Alabama player. By the time he hit midfield, the only people between him and the end zone were his own teammates and a sea of orange and blue screaming in disbelief.
Why the Iron Bowl 2013 Still Matters Today
You can't talk about modern college football without this game. It broke the "Bama fatigue" for a moment and proved that the BCS era could end on a high note before the playoffs took over.
There are several misconceptions about this game that still float around:
- Misconception 1: It was a fluke. While the ending was wild, Auburn outgained Alabama in rushing yards and matched them blow for blow. Auburn didn't "luck" into a tie game; they earned it through a relentless ground game and timely defensive stops.
- Misconception 2: Saban made a "bad" coaching move. Putting a second back on the clock was the right move if you believe in your players. The mistake wasn't the second; it was the lack of speed on the field during the field goal attempt to cover a potential return.
- Misconception 3: Auburn won the National Championship. People often forget that while Auburn beat Bama and won the SEC, they ultimately fell to Jameis Winston and Florida State in the final BCS title game.
The legacy of the Auburn football Iron Bowl 2013 is the "Kick Six" tattoo on thousands of fans, the endless replays on ESPN every November, and the reminder that in rivalry games, the form book doesn't just go out the window—it gets shredded and burned.
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How to Relive the 2013 Magic (The Right Way)
If you’re a die-hard fan or a newcomer trying to understand the hype, don't just watch the 30-second clip of the return. To truly appreciate it, you need the context.
- Watch the "Auburn Everyday" documentary series. It gives a behind-the-scenes look at the locker room vibe during that specific week.
- Listen to the radio calls. Compare Eli Gold’s (Alabama) stunned silence with Rod Bramblett’s (Auburn) iconic "Man, woman, and child!" exclamation. It’s a masterclass in local broadcasting.
- Analyze the 2013 season as a whole. Look at the "Miracle at Jordan-Hare" against Georgia just two weeks prior. Without that deflected catch by Ricardo Louis, the Iron Bowl wouldn't have even mattered for the title race.
The 2013 Iron Bowl wasn't just a game of football. It was a statistical anomaly wrapped in a rivalry, served with a side of pure, unadulterated chaos. It’s the reason we sit through four-hour games and commercial breaks. We’re all just waiting for that one second where the impossible happens.
Actionable Takeaways for Football Historians
To truly understand the impact of the 2013 Iron Bowl, study the shift in defensive recruiting that followed. After Malzahn’s offense tore through the SEC that year, Nick Saban famously began pivoting his recruiting strategy. He moved away from massive, 350-pound "space eaters" on the defensive line toward leaner, faster linebackers and safeties who could handle the tempo. This game literally changed the physical profile of the SEC.
If you’re researching this era, look into the "10-second rule" proposal that Saban and Bret Bielema supported shortly after this season. It was a direct attempt to slow down offenses like Auburn’s. The rule didn't pass, but the fact that it was even proposed shows how much the 2013 Auburn offense terrified the established coaching guard. Study the box score of this game alongside the 2014 Alabama-Auburn game to see how both teams immediately began an offensive arms race that redefined the rivalry for the next decade.
Explore the "Kick Six" from the perspective of special teams' gap integrity. Coaches now use this specific play as the primary teaching tape for why "field goal block" units must have "contain" players on the edges, even during a long attempt. It remains the most expensive one-second lesson in the history of the sport.