Alabama's kickers made no field goals in 4 chances. To make matters worse, it was backup kicker Adam Griffith, not starter Cade Foster, attempting the field goal with one second left in the game. The result was a 100 yard return by Auburn's Chris Davis and a win for Auburn. This rivalry, one of the more prominent ones in college football, took an unanticipated turn. Alabama, ranked number 1 going into the season will not be playing in the SEC championship game next Saturday in Georgia. Instead, it will be Auburn heading to the conference championship game. Auburn was a team that was 3-9 last year. But at 11-1 this season, the Tigers have surprised many.
Auburn opened the scoring in the first quarter when Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall ran for 45 yards. Alabama would be held scoreless in the first, but came back with a fury in the second quarter. Alabama would score 21 straight points, 14 of which would come from an A.J. McCarron pass. However, Auburn did not go down quietly. Auburn would complete an 81 yard drive resulting in a touchdown with 1:40 left in the quarter to bring the score to 21-14. The drive would include multiple rushes by Tre Mason, including a 40 yard rush.
Auburn took some momentum from the end of the second into the third quarter. Marshall would cap off a 69 yard drive with a 13 yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 21 in the opening drive. It became much more interesting from here. Going into the final quarter of the game, the Crimson Tide would attempt to finish an 83 yard drive with a 33 yard field goal. Foster, having missed a field goal on the opening drive of the game for Alabama, made the field goal. However, a false start penalty by the Tide forced a re-kick for Foster. This time, he would miss. Auburns next drive would result in a punt in which they were able to pin Alabama at their own 1 yard line. However, that was no an obstacle for McCarron. The Alabama quarterback threw a pass to Amari Cooper, who was able to run all the way into the end zone for a touchdown. The one play, 99 yard drive would push the Crimson Tide ahead by a touchdown. That would be the last of their scoring however.
Auburn's next two drives included a turnover on downs and a punt, including a drive in which they totaled a loss of 9 yards. It seemed as though Alabama's defense would hold down the Tigers for the remainder of the game. Instead, Auburn would block a 44 yard field goal attempt by Foster and score a touchdown on the ensuing drive. Alabama had 32 seconds to try and score a field goal. They would manage to get into position for a 57 yard field goal. However, backup kicker Adam Griffith would fall short in his kick, and Chris Davis would return the ball from the opposite endzone for a touchdown and an improbably win for Auburn.
IMAGE from ESPN: #14 Nick Marshall of the Auburn Tigers celebrates after beating the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday night. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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