I was there. It was incredible. Auburn was on our 4th down at our own 27 yard line. We had an impossible 18 yards to go for a crucial 1st down. We were down 38-37: Our first time trailing during the entire game, and there were only 25 seconds left on the clock. Somehow, we’d blown the 27-10 lead we had at halftime.
We’d managed to keep even with their score in the 3rd quarter, and then they found the magic and scored 3 unanswered touchdowns in the 4th quarter. If we didn’t make this miracle play, we would not get the ball again. We would lose to the University of Georgia Bulldogs.
Nobody wants to lose to Georgia, but we really didn’t want to lose to Georgia. Not now. Not like this. So much was on the line. We had only been defeated once before in this entire season. Could this really be happening?
It had come down to this.
Nick Marshall looked downfield and spotted a lone receiver trying to break free from two Georgia defenders. He attempts the pass and the ball sails into the air as a stadium full of people watch, fixated, holding their breath. This was surely the end – these plays never work.
The ball is tipped by a Georgia defender and then somehow bounces into the hands of an Auburn receiver. He bobbles the ball at first, then gets a firm grip and runs right into the end zone for an Auburn touchdown.
The stadium erupted into a deafening roar. We lost our minds, all 87,000 of us. The Georgia fans couldn’t believe it, and neither could we. As Georgia coaches collapsed into the fetal position, Auburn fans instantly turned into 3 year old kids, jumping up and down and yelling at the top of our lungs. This never happens!
We were now 5 points ahead. The 2 point conversion attempt failed, and it almost didn’t matter. We were still alive.
Georgia got the ball back and proceeded, threateningly, to march down the field. Our defense stopped their last two plays and time ran out. We were saved by the bell.
This was an incredible moment, and the most dramatic ending possible to the biggest game so far in a season that no one expected to be this great.
Let’s take a moment and look back to where this same team was a year ago: Last season, Auburn football was just horrible. Historically bad, in fact. And it’s not because we lacked talent – the Tigers had a top 10 recruiting class for the last 4 years. The problem was coaching, and after 3 wins and 9 losses, we cleaned house at the end of the season. The stage was set for a dramatic change.
A year later, we now stand ranked #6 nationally with 10 wins and 1 loss. This unprecedented turnaround is exactly why Gus Malzahn is the coach of the year.
Our next big challenge comes the Saturday after Thanksgiving when we host the University of Alabama for the Iron Bowl – our biggest game of the year, every year. As reigning back-to-back national champions, the Crimson Tide will be no easy opponent for us.
And you know what? They may be good, but I think I speak for all the fans of my alma mater when I say that I really don’t care. Anything can happen in the SEC, and Auburn is the team to watch right now.
I joined a passionate sea of orange and blue to chant this at Jordan-Hare stadium on Saturday, and I’ll say it again here today:
We want ‘Bama.
