The Iron Bowl delivered another incredible ending in 2023 as Alabama stunned Auburn with a touchdown on fourth-and-31 in the final minute of play.
Jalen Milroe found Isaiah Bond in the back corner of the endzone to write both their names in rivalry legend. And crush the spirit of Auburn fans.
That's four wins in a row for Alabama in the rivalry, but it's safe to say this was the most memorable of the bunch. Move over Kick Six, there's a new epic rivalry game ending in town.
Best memes and tweets as Alabama stuns Auburn in Iron Bowl
#Alabama Quarterback Jalen Milroe saying āNever Give Upā leaving Jordan-Hare
ā Arielle Schafer (@arielle_schafer) November 26, 2023
What a moment for the Crimson Tide Quarterback #RollTide #IronBowl | @CBS_42 pic.twitter.com/WQ7QTjaiK0
Auburn has the "Kick Six."
ā Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 26, 2023
Alabama has "Fourth And 31."
The Iron Bowl is something.
This is pretty great. @KirkHerbstreit, about to call Florida-Florida St., reacts to Alabamaās insane win over Auburn by beating up Chris Fowler in the booth. pic.twitter.com/qJ2SgCzsGm
ā Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) November 26, 2023
The Iron Bowl (every year) pic.twitter.com/yhT4befMHb
ā Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) November 26, 2023
2 man rush. 60% of the time⦠it works every time #IronBowl pic.twitter.com/ezRe8aguPD
ā Chris Law (@ChrisLaw) November 25, 2023
There are people who watch this game every year after they watch the dry ass Michigan/Ohio St game and still come on Al Goreās Internet to say the Iron Bowl isnāt the best rivalry in college football
ā Ćic Gulas (@Nic_Gulas) November 26, 2023
āItās 4th and Goal on the 31-yard line and we gotta play Prevent defense to win the Iron Bowl. Can you do it?ā
ā Mylon I. Boston (@BostonSZN) November 26, 2023
Auburn: pic.twitter.com/t0fgX77gL5
Isaiah Bondās NIL value is going to crash the U.S. stock market
ā Sidelines - Bama (@SSN_Alabama) November 26, 2023
Beating Auburn is always fun⦠but beating them when they thought they had it in the bag will always reign supreme
ā Jayde Saylor (@JaydeSaylor) November 26, 2023
Alabama was a two-touchdown favorite but Auburn stayed with them in the first half and then held the lead for most of the second half.
It doesn't matter who has the lead for the longest though. It only matters who leads when the final whistle blows. And Alabama got there through the most dramatic of roads.
Milroe and company were driving with hopes of taking a lead in the final minutes. They converted a fourth-and-one at the Auburn 10-yard line but shot themselves in the foot with a bad snap and an illegal forward pass penalty. Hope was dim as they faced a fourth-and-31 with 32 seconds remaining and the season on the line.
Of course, that's when Milroe and Bond produced the heroics that make rivalries special.
And things only got weirder from there as a brawl broke out after Auburn's kickoff return. Then Payton Thorne was sacked and fumbled but the ball was recovered at the one-yard line. Then the final play of the game turned into a pick-six that was taken off the board.
It got weird at Jordan-Hare but the result was still locked in: Alabama won and can now head to the SEC Championship Game with hopes of punching a ticket to the College Football Playoff.