This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/2Pollaski2Furious on 2024-08-19 15:10:14+00:00.
Alright guys, we have finally come to the top ten Tank Jobs of the last twenty years. I’m sure some of you have figured out what’s left via process of elimination, but let’s see how this all shook out, right?
10: ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (lost to Auburn 34-28) [2013]
There’s always going to be a fierce debate over what the greatest rivalry in college football is, but the Iron Bowl certainly has made its argument. There might not be another series in the country that so purely encapsulates the animosity, high stakes, and dramatic finishes than the Alabama/Auburn rivalry, and the 2013 contest might just have been the greatest of all. This was unmistakenly the height of the Nick Saban dynasty. The Tide had won the last two National Championships, three of the last four, and had gone an absurd 58-5 since 2009. But that lone title in between had gone to Auburn, although the Tigers had been less consistent, having bottomed out at just 3-9 (0-8) the year prior. But the Tigers were in the midst of one of the most dramatic turnaround seasons in history, and sat at 10-1 and ranked 4th in the nation. The stakes were massive- not only was the West Division title and a berth in the SEC Championship against Missouri on the line, but a possible shot at the national championship (a certainty in Alabama’s case had they won out- Auburn would need a little help) was up for grabs too.
Alabama took the opening kickoff, and on the first play T.J. Yeldon picked up the first 31 of Alabama’s 495 yards on the night when he tore through the line all the way into Auburn territory. But Alabama stalled out at the Tiger 27, and Cade Foster came on to put the first points on the board- only to pull the kick left. Six minutes later, Auburn drew first blood when Nick Marshall took a read option 45 yards to the house, but early in the second quarter AJ McCarron caught OJ Howard on a flat route to tie the game. Auburn fumbled on their next drive, and McCarron flipped a beauty over the Tiger defense right into Kevin Norwood’s arms to put the Tide up 14-7. Auburn suffered a disastrous 3 and out, and Alabama again found the end zone, and for just a moment it looked like the rout might be on. But Auburn responded with a touchdown just before the half, and on their first drive of the third quarter Marshall hit CJ Uzomah in the endzone to tie the game up at 21.
Both teams exchanged punts, but Auburn pinned the Tide back at their own 1. On third down, however, McCarron found Amani Cooper down the sidelines for a 54 yard gain to put the tide in business. The Tide got down to the 11, and brought out Foster again to make his second field goal attempt. But a false start pushed them back five yards, and Foster again pulled the 33 yarder to the left. Auburn was forced to punt again, and for the second drive in a row, pinned the Tide back at their own 1. This time, McCarron erased all doubt, finding Cooper down the sideline again, who shrugged off an Auburn defender and scampered all the way for a 99-yard touchdown, giving the Tide a 28-21 lead. Auburn’s next drive only went 9 yards in three plays, and, with eight and a half minutes left and the Tigers at their own 35, coach Gus Malzahn went for it- but Marshall was stopped, giving the Tide the ball. Alabama quickly drove down to the 13, but were also stopped on 3rd down. Instead of bringing out Foster to make it a ten point game with six minutes left, Saban elected to give the ball to TJ Yeldon. Yeldon was stuffed, and the ball went back to Auburn. Nick Marshall was promptly sacked for a 9 yard loss on first down, and the Tigers were again forced to punt. It was a short one, and Bama returned it to the Auburn 25, already in business. But a holding call on 3rd and 2 forced Bama to attempt another field goal- this one 44 yards- and it was blocked. Auburn defender Ryan Smith fell on the ball, and as he began to get up a Tide defender plowed over him- the extra 15 yards giving Auburn the ball at their own 42 with just 2:32 remaining. The Tigers moved into Alabama territory and then, with 40 seconds remaining, Nick Marshall rolled out to the side, drawing the Alabama defenders towards him, leaving Sammie Coates wide open for a 39 yard touchdown. The game was tied at 28.
Not wanting to risk an interception, Nick Saban simply elected to hand the ball off for TJ Yeldon, who lumbered for nine yards. Saban called time out with seven seconds left, then gave the ball to Yeldon again, who now rumbled down the field for 24 yards, stepping out of bounds at the Auburn 38 as time expired. But Saban insisted there was still one second left, and sure enough, replays showed that Yeldon had touched out just miliseconds before the clock hit triple zeroes. With his primary kicker slumping, Saban elected to send out freshman
Adam Griffith to make the third- and biggest- kick of his life. At 57 yards, the kick would be nearly three times as long as the lone make Griffith had in his career.
Auburn iced him, of course, and then sent returner Chris Davis to stand underneath the goal post… just in case. Griffith did his best, and the ball sailed through the Auburn evening, drifting a bit to the right and landing right in Davis’ arms nine yards deep in the end zone. Davis sprinted out of the end zone, drifting left, away from Alabama’s linemen-turned defenders, who were on the field for their blocking ability, not their speed. For just a second, it looked like Davis was going to step out of bounds trying to swing by the last of the Tide pursuers, but suddenly, he was in the clear, and bedlam erupted as a blue clad honor guard escorted him into the end zone.
There’s been a lot of iconic calls in college football history, but the Kick Six might have the honor of having three of them. There’s Verne Lundquists “Davis goes left. Davis gets a block! Davis gets another block! Chris Davis! No flags! Touchdown Auburn! An answered prayer!” and then… silence, letting the viewer sink in the moment of what had just happened. There’s also the late Auburn announcer’s Rod Bramblett’s far less restrained version- “THERE GOES DAVIS! DAVIS IS GONNA RUN IT ALL THE WAY BACK! AUBURNS GOING TO WIN THE FOOTBALL GAME! AUBURN’S GOING TO WIN THE FOOTBALL GAME! HE RAN THE MISSED FIELD GOAL BACK! HE RAN IT BACK A HUNDRED AND NINE YARDS THEY’RE NOT GONNA KEEP THEM OFF THE FIELD TONIGHT!!!” And finally there’s Alabama’s Eli Gold’s dread-filled “Run down the near sideline… there’s nobody there for Alabama! Auburn’s going to win… Auburn’s going to win the Iron Bowl.” You can take your pick.
I guess the question to be asked is… was this really a Tank Job? In my book- yes (hence why it’s #10 on this list). You could attribute it to one fluke play, yes. But it was also the conclusion of a game-long narrative that had built up to this moment. Alabama’s kicker had missed three field goals (and both kickers would sadly receive death threats in the aftermath, because we have some very very stupid fans in this sport), causing Saban to replace him with an unproven freshman with two career kicks who hadn’t made anything longer than a 20-yarder in his entire career for one of the biggest moments in college football history. And he had demanded that one second back to ensure it could happen. And arguably not having the foresight to put anyone with speed on the field who could have sealed off that sideline to prevent Davis’ runback (plus if you watch the replay, some of those Bama players look incredibly tentative about what they should do, and their hesitation cost them dearly).
In addition… I don’t want to say it ended the Alabama dynasty because they did go on to win three more titles. But this (plus the subsequent loss to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl) almost seemed to break a mystique about them- they were mortal after all. Mortals who could crush you 50-3 and seethe about giving up that field goal afterwards, but mortals nonetheless.