On Monday, Kalen DeBoer said there hasn’t been a day since he took the job at Alabama in which he hasn’t heard something about the Iron Bowl. And of all the stories, last year’s game particularly sticks out.
“I understand what took place a year ago and what it took to win that game,” DeBoer said. “I think probably pretty reminiscent of what both sides are looking at as far as the effort it’s gonna take and playing for four quarters, playing every second, every play like it’s your last. That’s the intensity of it.”
Fourth-and-31 or “gravedigger” is one of the most iconic moments in one of college football’s best rivalries — and it was a heartbreaking ending for Hugh Freeze in his first Iron Bowl and a magical final Iron Bowl for Nick Saban.
TOUCHDOWN ALABAMA ON 4TH AND A MILE!
UNREAL! pic.twitter.com/rX5XPRsuzV
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) November 26, 2023
This year’s game isn’t as consequential as other Alabama–Auburn matchups in the grand scheme of the sport. Alabama is clinging to Playoff hopes at 8-3 while Auburn (6-5) is fighting for bowl eligibility.
However, this game is very important for a first-year coach in DeBoer, who desperately needs to change the narrative on what has been a disappointing debut season.
So how has the Iron Bowl gone for other first-year coaches on both sides of the rivalry? Let’s take a look.
1903: An improbable upset
Auburn won six of the first seven Iron Bowls and was heavily favored in 1903, having won its first two games by an 84-0 margin. However, Alabama pulled off the upset 18-6.
After the game, Alabama coach W.B. Blount admitted to the Montgomery Advertiser, “I am free to confess that the result of the game was as much a surprise to me as anybody else.”
1948: Rivalry renewed, Alabama rolls
After a 6-6 tie in 1907, the teams did not play again until 1947. History points to a multitude of reasons, including player per diem rates, disagreements on referees, land grants and more. Thanks to a push from the Alabama board of trustees and state legislature, the series resumed in 1948.
Coach Harold Drew led Alabama to a 55-0 win, the largest point differential in the series.
1981: A historic win for Bear Bryant
Bear Bryant lost his first Iron Bowl, a 14-8 setback to No. 2 Auburn in 1958. Years later, he posted one of the most significant wins of his career against the hated rivals. Alabama defeated Auburn 28-17 in 1981 as Bryant won his 315th career game to pass Amos Alonzo Stagg to become the all-time winningest coach in Division I history. On the losing side was first-year Auburn coach and former Bryant assistant Pat Dye.
In 1958, Alabama’s record against Auburn was 9-13-1. When Bryant retired, Alabama’s record was 28-19-1.
1990: Gene Stallings snaps Auburn’s streak
Stallings’ first season started rough at 0-3, but two rivalry upsets set the tone for what was to come. Alabama won at No. 3 Tennessee earlier in the year, and then Stallings delivered another stunner — a 16-7 victory over No. 20 Auburn that snapped the Tigers’ four-game winning streak in the series.
1993: The TV-less Iron Bowl
Alabama, the defending national champ, was 8-1-1. Auburn was undefeated at 10-0. But the Tigers, under first-year coach Terry Bowden, were on probation and banned from appearing on television for one season. Since 1981, this is the only Iron Bowl that hasn’t been televised.
The game sold out two stadiums. Over 47,000 people watched via simulcast at Bryant-Denny Stadium (tickets were capped due to limited sight angles of the broadcast) while Jordan-Hare Stadium was packed, as usual, to see the actual game. Auburn won 22-14 to complete an undefeated regular season, but the Tigers did not play in a bowl game due to probation.
2007: Enter the Saban era
Just like Bryant, Saban’s Iron Bowl career started with a loss — a 17-10 defeat that marked Auburn’s sixth straight win in the series, its longest streak in the rivalry. Saban would reel off 12 wins in the next 16 years to re-establish Alabama’s dominance.
Not surprisingly, Bryant (.760) and Saban (.706) have the highest winning percentages of any coaches in this rivalry.
Some classic Iron Bowls involving Saban that aren’t listed below include “The Drive” in 2009, the “Camback” in 2011, the highest-scoring Iron Bowl ever (a 55-44 win) in 2014 and Tua Tagovailoa’s six-touchdown masterpiece in 2018.
2013: The Kick Six
With 0:01 on the clock and the score tied 28-28, Alabama freshman kicker Adam Griffith attempted a 57-yard potential game-winning field goal. It fell short, and Auburn cornerback Chris Davis caught the ball at the back of the end zone and returned it 109 yards for the game-winning touchdown as time expired.
It was an iconic Iron Bowl debut for Auburn coach Gus Malzahn, who led the Tigers to the national championship game that year. The Kick Six won ESPYs for Best Game and Best Play.
2021: The Bryce Young Drive
Shades of 2009. Alabama was down on the road at Auburn, needing a long touchdown drive to keep its championship hopes alive. Bryce Young proceeded to drive the Tide 97 yards for a game-tying touchdown to force the first overtime game in Iron Bowl history. Alabama prevailed 24-22 in four OTs.
It was a heartbreaking debut for Bryan Harsin at Auburn and a signature moment for Young, who became Saban’s fourth and final Heisman Trophy winner a few weeks later.
(Photo: Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images)
