| 78th Iron Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Jordan–Hare Stadium, the site of the game. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | November 30, 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Jordan–Hare Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Auburn, Alabama | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Alabama by 10[6] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Matt Austin[7] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 87,451[7] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | CBS[8] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Verne Lundquist (play-by-play) Gary Danielson (color) Tracy Wolfson (sideline) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 8.2[9] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Kick Six (also known as Kick Bama Kick) was the final play of the 78th Iron Bowl college football game played on November 30, 2013, at Jordan–Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. The game featured the No. 1–ranked and two-time defending national champion Alabama Crimson Tide (11–0, 7–0 in the SEC) as a 10-point favorite over the No. 4-ranked Auburn Tigers (10–1, 6–1 in the SEC). The game had significant postseason implications, with both teams ranked in the top 5 and a berth to the SEC Championship Game and, potentially, the BCS National Championship Game, at stake.[10]
After falling behind in the 2nd quarter and then again in the 4th, Auburn rallied to tie the game at 28–28 with 32 seconds remaining. After the ensuing kickoff, Alabama quickly moved to the Auburn 38-yard line, at which point the clock ran out, seemingly sending the game to overtime. Alabama coach Nick Saban challenged the timekeeping call and one second was put back on the clock after a video review. The Crimson Tide lined up for a potential game-winning 57-yard field goal and the kick was short, allowing Auburn's Chris Davis, who had been positioned near the goal line, to catch the ball just in front of the goal posts. Davis ran across the entire field through players from both teams to the opposite end zone, improbably scoring the winning touchdown for Auburn on the last play of the game.
The game was played in front of a sellout crowd of 87,451 and televised nationwide on CBS, posting an 11.8 rating with over 13 million viewers during the final half-hour, making it the most watched regular season game of the 2013 college football season.[11] Some sportswriters have argued that Davis' return is the single greatest moment in college football history.[12] At the 2014 ESPY Awards, it was named the best play and the best game of the year in all of North American sports.[13] In the years following the game, the name "Kick Six", a variant of the term "pick-six", has been commonly used to identify both the final play and the game.
Following the game, Alabama played in the Sugar Bowl, falling to Oklahoma 45–31. Auburn won the SEC Championship Game and went on to play in the BCS National Championship Game, where they lost to Florida State, 34–31.
- ^ Kay, Alex (November 24, 2013). "AP College Football Poll 2013: Complete Week 14 Rankings Released". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on September 16, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ a b "USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ Clarke, Patrick. "BCS Rankings 2013 Week 14: Official Standings for Top 25 Announced". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on July 3, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ Kay, Alex. "AP College Football Poll 2013: Complete Week 14 Rankings Released". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on September 16, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ Clarke, Patrick. "BCS Rankings 2013 Week 14: Official Standings for Top 25 Announced". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on July 3, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Las Vegas oddswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Alabama-Auburn 2013 game box score on ESPNwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cooper, Sam (November 30, 2013). "Listen to the amazing Auburn radio call from the Iron Bowl win over Alabama". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
- ^ Lewis, Jon (December 6, 2013). "CFB Week 14 Wrap: Classic "Iron Bowl" Earns Season-High 13.8M Viewers". Sports Media Waltch. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Anniston Star Marq Burnettwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Paulsen (December 6, 2013). "CFB Week 14 Wrap: Classic "Iron Bowl" Earns Season-High 13.8M Viewers". Sports Media Watch. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
- ^ Kick Six
- Vaccaro, Mike (November 30, 2013). "Auburn-Alabama is greatest ending in sports history". The New York Post. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
- DeMarchi, John (December 2, 2013). "Is the 2013 Iron Bowl (Alabama vs. Auburn) the Most Dramatic Finish to a Football Game of All-Time?". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
- Lupica, Mike (December 1, 2013). "End of Auburn vs. Alabama is one second in college football that will be talked about forever". New York Daily News. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on June 15, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
- Cohen, Ben; Bachman, Rachel (January 2, 2014). "Auburn-Alabama: Inside the Greatest Play of All". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on July 30, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ Zucker, Joseph (July 16, 2014). "ESPY 2014 Winners: Awards Results, Recap, Top Moments and Twitter Reaction". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.