The odds were basically zero. If you walked into a sports bar in August 2013 and told an Auburn fan that their team—coming off a winless SEC season and a coaching change—was about to be seconds away from a national title, they’d have told you to go home and sleep it off. But that’s the thing about 2013 Auburn tigers football. It defied logic. It broke math. It turned "luck" into a repeatable weekly strategy.
Gene Chizik was out. Gus Malzahn was back. The program was a mess.
People forget how bleak it was after 2012. The Tigers had just finished 3-9. They got humiliated by Alabama 49-0 in the Iron Bowl. The locker room was reportedly fractured, and the identity of the program was non-existent. Then Gus Malzahn brought in Nick Marshall, a converted cornerback from junior college, and decided to run a high-speed offensive experiment that looked more like a track meet than a football game.
From 3-9 to the Brink of a Crystal Ball
The turnaround wasn't immediate. It felt shaky.
Auburn beat Washington State to open the year, but it wasn't some dominant statement. They lost to LSU in late September, a game where they looked clearly a step behind the elite. Honestly, that loss is probably why the rest of the country ignored them for the next two months. But something clicked in the dirt and humidity of the SEC schedule. Marshall started hitting deep balls to Sammie Coates. Tre Mason turned into a workhorse that refused to go down on the first contact.
By the time November rolled around, the 2013 Auburn tigers football team wasn't just a "nice story." They were a freight train.
The offense was a nightmare to prepare for because Malzahn used the "hurry-up no-huddle" (HUNH) to paralyze defensive coordinators. They’d snap the ball before the linebackers could even get their cleats set. It was relentless. It was exhausting. And it set the stage for the most ridiculous two-week stretch in the history of college athletics.
The Miracle at Jordan-Hare and the Play That Shall Not Be Named
You can't talk about this season without talking about the "Prayer at Jordan-Hare." Fourth and 18. The season is effectively over. Nick Marshall throws a desperate, fluttering ball into double coverage against Georgia.
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It should have been an interception.
Instead, Georgia safety Josh Harvey-Clemons and teammate Tray Matthews collided. The ball bounced off Harvey-Clemons' hands, stayed in the air for what felt like an hour, and landed right in the bread basket of a sprinting Ricardo Louis. Touchdown. Auburn wins. The stadium literally shook.
But somehow, that wasn't even the peak.
Two weeks later, the Iron Bowl. Number 1 Alabama vs. Number 4 Auburn. Most people expected Nick Saban to restore order. The game was a slugfest. With one second left, Alabama attempted a 57-yard field goal for the win. Adam Griffith’s kick fell short.
Chris Davis was waiting.
"A-MA-ZING! 109 yards!" Rod Bramblett’s voice cracked on the radio broadcast, and every Auburn fan on earth lost their collective minds. The Kick Six didn't just win a game; it vaulted 2013 Auburn tigers football into the national championship conversation and effectively ended the Alabama dynasty's hope for a three-peat.
The Tre Mason Effect
While the miracles get the YouTube views, the actual engine of this team was the offensive line and Tre Mason. Greg Robinson was a human erasing machine at left tackle. He and Reese Dismukes paved lanes that were ten feet wide.
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Mason rushed for 1,816 yards that year.
Think about that. In an era where everyone was trying to be "Air Raid," Auburn went old school with a new-school pace. In the SEC Championship against Missouri, Mason ran the ball 46 times. 46! He put up 304 yards and four touchdowns in a single game. It was a brutal, physical display of dominance that proved the Tigers weren't just "lucky"—they were tougher than you.
Why the Defense Got a Pass
Statistically, the defense wasn't elite. They gave up a lot of yards. They bent until they almost snapped every single Saturday. But under Ellis Johnson, they had this weird "bend but don't break" DNA. They led the league in "stops when it absolutely mattered."
- Dee Ford was a menace off the edge.
- Cassanova McKinzy played like he was shot out of a cannon.
- They forced turnovers in the red zone.
They did enough to let the offense get back on the field, and in 2013, that was the only requirement.
The Heartbreak in Pasadena
The BCS National Championship against Florida State is still a sore spot for the Plains. Auburn led 21-3. They had Jameis Winston rattled. It looked like the destiny of the "Team of Fate" was going to be realized.
But then, Jimbo Fisher’s squad woke up.
There’s a lot of talk about Florida State allegedly "stealing signals" in the first half and Auburn having to hide their play-calling behind towels in the second. Whether that changed the momentum or not, the final drive was a killer. Winston found Kelvin Benjamin in the end zone with 13 seconds left.
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Just like that, the magic ran out.
It’s easy to look back and say the defense failed at the end, but Florida State was a pro-level roster. They had future NFL starters at almost every position. Auburn wasn't supposed to be there, yet they were ten seconds away from a ring.
The Legacy of 2013 Auburn Tigers Football
This season changed how people viewed the SEC. It wasn't just about "three yards and a cloud of dust" anymore. Malzahn proved that you could run a high-octane, spread-option attack and win in the most physical conference in the country.
It also served as a reminder of why we watch college football.
In a world of algorithms and "blue-chip ratios," sometimes a team just catches lightning in a bottle. They had a quarterback who was kicked out of Georgia. They had a coach who was a "high school guy" at heart. They had a running back who wasn't the biggest or the fastest but had the biggest heart in the stadium.
What people get wrong about this team is calling them "lucky." Sure, the Georgia tip was lucky. The Kick Six involved a missed field goal. But you don't win 12 games in the SEC by accident. You don't beat a top-5 Missouri team by 20 points because of luck. You do it because you’ve mastered a system and your players believe they can't lose.
How to Relive the Season
If you want to truly understand the impact of this run, don't just watch the highlights. Watch the full game against Texas A&M. Watch how Auburn handled Johnny Manziel. Look at the way the offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage against bigger opponents.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans and Analysts:
- Analyze the Tape: Watch the 2013 SEC Championship game film. Pay attention to the "Counter Trey" and "Power Read" plays Malzahn ran. It is a masterclass in blocking angles.
- Visit the Jordan-Hare Museum: If you're ever in Auburn, the displays covering the 2013 season offer a look at the actual jerseys and equipment from the Kick Six.
- Study the Coaching Tree: Look at where those assistants are now. The 2013 staff influenced a decade of offensive football in the college ranks.
- Listen to the Radio Calls: Find the late Rod Bramblett’s calls for the Georgia and Alabama games. No video does the atmosphere justice like his voice.
The 2013 Auburn tigers football season will always be the "What If" year for Tigers fans, but more than that, it remains the ultimate example of why the preseason rankings don't mean a thing once the ball is kicked off.