Ten years after ‘Kick Six,’ the Iron Bowl did not disappoint
On the tenth anniversary of the Kick Six, you had a feeling the annual Iron Bowl battle between Alabama and Auburn would have something special up its sleeves.
And it did not disappoint.
Auburn had the Crimson Tide on the ropes, holding a 24-20 lead with just under five minutes remaining. Alabama faced a 4th and 1 at the Tigers’ 10-yard line, and Nick Saban elected to keep his offense on the field, rather than attempt a field goal to cuth the Auburn lead to one.
Alabama picked up the first down as running back Roydell Williams took a pitch from quarterback Jalen Milroe — after the Crimson Tide showed Auburn a “Tush Push” alignment — and Alabama had a fresh set of downs at the Auburn 7-yard line.
That’s when the mistakes piled up for Alabama, and it looked like the game was slipping away from them.
Williams was stopped for a three-yard loss on first down, and on second down the snap from center Seth McLaughlin caught Milroe by surprise. The ball got past the Alabama quarterback, and he slipped to the turf to recover the ball, at the Auburn 26-yard line.
Then facing 3rd and goal from the 26-yard line, Milroe bought some time and then rolled to his left, before attempting a throw near the end zone. The pass fell incomplete, and a flag fell as well. Milroe had crossed the line of scrimmage, and the five-yard penalty pushed the Crimson Tide further back.
Saban elected to call the team’s final timeout rather than accept the ten-second runoff, so the Crimson Tide faced a 4th and goal from the Auburn 31-yard line. With just 32 seconds left, this was their entire season.
That is when this happened:
Somehow, some way, Milroe found wide receiver Isaiah Bond in the back corner of the end zone to absolutely stun the Auburn sideline, and perhaps change the trajectory of the College Football Playoff:
While the nickname for the Kick Six presented itself rather easily, coming up with a way to describe … that … was tough. But not impossible
“The 30-yard corner to Bond. Isaiah Bond,” is how Brad Nessler described the play on CBS.
The ensuing extra point gave Alabama a 27-24 lead, and Auburn’s final drive ended on an interception, sealing an Iron Bowl for the ages for the Crimson Tide.
As you might expect, social media exploded after Bond’s touchdown:
The win keeps Alabama’s slim College Football Playoff hopes alive, as they now are set to square off with Georgia in the SEC Championship Game next weekend. And, on a year where a few different Heisman front runners have emerged, it might have delivered a “Heisman Moment” for the Alabama quarterback.
But if nothing else, it delivered an Iron Bowl that will be talked about for decades, if not longer.
