SEC Football: What would’ve happened if Alabama won the 2013 Iron Bowl?
By Matt Melton
One of the most-memorable games in SEC Football history, the 2013 Iron Bowl featured a matchup between No. 1 Alabama (11-0) traveling to Jordan-Hare Stadium to take on rival No. 4 Auburn (10-1).
A game with very-high stakes going in, whichever team won the 2013 Iron Bowl was set to clinch the SEC West division with the victory, and in-turn would advance to play No. 5 Missouri in the 2013 SEC Championship Game the following week. As expected as well, the game would reflect those high stakes, with both the Crimson Tide and Tigers showing flashes early on.
Auburn would strike first with a 45-yard touchdown run by quarterback Nick Marshall to hold a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, with Alabama bouncing back with 21 unanswered points in the second quarter. The Tigers would however add another touchdown before halftime, with Alabama carrying a 21-14 lead into the half.
The Tigers would go-on to tie the game early in the third quarter with a touchdown pass from Marshall to tight end CJ Uzomah, with the game remaining tied 21-21 entering the fourth quarter. As you likely know as well, the fourth quarter of the 2013 Iron Bowl that was to come can only be described as a rollercoaster for fans of both teams.
Alabama would take the lead with 10:28 remaining from a 99-yard touchdown pass from quarterback AJ McCarron to wide receiver Amari Cooper, with the Crimson Tide holding the 28-21 lead up until :32 seconds remaining when Marshall scrambled to find a wide open receiver in Sammie Coates for a 39-yard score.
With the game tied 28-28, Alabama would get the ball back, and work their way down the field for kicker Adam Griffith to attempt a 57-yard field goal for the win. As you likely know however, the kick fell short, and was returned by cornerback Chris Davis the length of the field for a touchdown as time expired, winning the game for Auburn 34-28, clinching the SEC West in the process, and becoming one of SEC Football’s all-time memorable moments known as “The Kick Six.”
As you likely know as well, the Tigers would go-on to defeat Missouri in the 2013 SEC Championship Game, but would fall to top-ranked Florida State in the final national championship game of the BCS era, snapping SEC Football’s seven-year streak of consecutive national champions that dated back to 2006.
A memorable game with countless all-time SEC Football moments, we already know what happened after Auburn won the 2013 Iron Bowl. However, what would’ve likely happened if Alabama had won the 2013 Iron Bowl?