# Kick Six
The **Kick Six** is the game-winning play of the 2013 [Iron Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/iron-bowl), in which Auburn cornerback Chris Davis returned a missed Alabama field goal 109 yards for a touchdown on the final play of a 34-28 Auburn victory over the top-ranked Crimson Tide on November 30, 2013, at Jordan-Hare Stadium in [Auburn, Alabama](https://www.edgepedia.org/auburn-alabama).[1](https://auburntigers.com/news/2013/11/30/auburn-beats-bama-in-an-iron-bowl-for-the-ages) The name combines the six points of the return touchdown with the missed kick that began it, and the play decided a game that sent Auburn to the [SEC Championship Game](https://www.edgepedia.org/sec-championship-game) and, ultimately, the BCS National Championship Game.[2](https://auburntigers.com/news/2023/11/21/the-kick-six-10-years-later-a-great-moment-for-auburn)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Game | 2013 Iron Bowl, November 30, 2013, Jordan-Hare Stadium; No. 4 Auburn 34, No. 1 Alabama 28[1](https://auburntigers.com/news/2013/11/30/auburn-beats-bama-in-an-iron-bowl-for-the-ages) |
| The play | Chris Davis returned Adam Griffith's missed 57-yard field goal attempt 109 yards for a touchdown as time expired[1](https://auburntigers.com/news/2013/11/30/auburn-beats-bama-in-an-iron-bowl-for-the-ages) • [3](https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/34997694/building-perfect-college-football-rivalry) |
| Rarity | The fourth missed field goal returned 100 yards in college football history[1](https://auburntigers.com/news/2013/11/30/auburn-beats-bama-in-an-iron-bowl-for-the-ages) |
| Consequence | Auburn clinched the SEC Western Division, beat Missouri 59-42 in the SEC Championship, and reached the BCS National Championship Game[2](https://auburntigers.com/news/2023/11/21/the-kick-six-10-years-later-a-great-moment-for-auburn) |
| Recognition | Voted the greatest play in college football history with 68 percent of the vote in an NFL.com fan tournament[4](https://www.nfl.com/news/what-we-learned-from-the-greatest-cfb-plays-tournament-0ap3000000505326) |
| Context | Auburn's second consecutive miracle finish, one week after the Prayer at Jordan-Hare against Georgia[1](https://auburntigers.com/news/2013/11/30/auburn-beats-bama-in-an-iron-bowl-for-the-ages) |
## The final minute
Auburn trailed 28-21 in the fourth quarter before Nick Marshall threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Sammie Coates with 32 seconds left to tie the game at 28-28.[1](https://auburntigers.com/news/2013/11/30/auburn-beats-bama-in-an-iron-bowl-for-the-ages) On what appeared to be the final play of regulation, Alabama's T.J. Yeldon ran 24 yards and went out of bounds with the clock at 0:00, but officials reviewed the timing and put one second back on the clock.[1](https://auburntigers.com/news/2013/11/30/auburn-beats-bama-in-an-iron-bowl-for-the-ages) Davis himself made the tackle on that run, knocking Yeldon out of bounds to keep the return from gaining more.[2](https://auburntigers.com/news/2023/11/21/the-kick-six-10-years-later-a-great-moment-for-auburn)
**The kick.** Alabama coach [Nick Saban](https://www.edgepedia.org/nick-saban) opted for a long field goal rather than one more play from scrimmage. Alabama was lined up to kick when Auburn coach [Gus Malzahn](https://www.edgepedia.org/gus-malzahn) called timeout, and Malzahn used the stoppage to move Davis deep into the end zone as a returner.[1](https://auburntigers.com/news/2013/11/30/auburn-beats-bama-in-an-iron-bowl-for-the-ages) Adam Griffith attempted a 57-yard field goal with one second remaining.[3](https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/34997694/building-perfect-college-football-rivalry) The kick was short and to the right, landing in Davis's hands nine yards deep in his own end zone.[1](https://auburntigers.com/news/2013/11/30/auburn-beats-bama-in-an-iron-bowl-for-the-ages)
Davis raced up the left sideline untouched, with Auburn teammates throwing knock-down blocks along the way, and scored as the stadium erupted. The official scoring credited a 100-yard return, though the play is universally recorded as 109 yards.[1](https://auburntigers.com/news/2013/11/30/auburn-beats-bama-in-an-iron-bowl-for-the-ages) Saban said afterward, "First time I have ever lost a game that way; the first time I have ever seen a game lost that way."
## Stakes and consequences
The game carried the SEC Western Division title and a berth in the SEC Championship Game against Missouri, and Alabama was pursuing a third consecutive national championship under Saban.[2](https://auburntigers.com/news/2023/11/21/the-kick-six-10-years-later-a-great-moment-for-auburn) • [5](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/iron-bowl-2017-why-this-alabama-vs-auburn-game-may-be-biggest-in-rivalry-history/) The loss dropped the defending national champions to No. 4 in the polls as Auburn moved up.[6](https://www.theoffside.com/college-football/2018/11/21/18030590/kick-six-iron-bowl-2013-radio-cbs) Auburn went on to beat Missouri 59-42 in the SEC Championship Game, the highest-scoring game in that event's history, and earned a spot in the [BCS National Championship Game](https://www.edgepedia.org/bcs-national-championship-game).[2](https://auburntigers.com/news/2023/11/21/the-kick-six-10-years-later-a-great-moment-for-auburn) • [7](https://vucommodores.com/wp-content/uploads/2004/10/8432__m_footbl_2013_14_misc_non_event__SEC_bowl_notes_123013.pdf)
## The rest of the game
Auburn won with a running game that overwhelmed a defense allowing an average of 91.3 rushing yards per game. [The Tigers](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-tigers) finished with 393 total yards, 296 of them on the ground, and had 162 rushing yards by halftime. [Tre Mason](https://www.edgepedia.org/tre-mason) ran for 164 yards and a touchdown, and Marshall threw two touchdown passes.[1](https://auburntigers.com/news/2013/11/30/auburn-beats-bama-in-an-iron-bowl-for-the-ages)
The scoring ran in waves. Marshall opened the game with a 45-yard touchdown run, Alabama answered with three straight second-quarter touchdowns, including a 1-yard run by Yeldon for a 21-7 halftime lead, and Auburn tied it at 21 with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Marshall to C.J. Uzomah to open the second half. Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron then threw a 99-yard touchdown pass to [Amari Cooper](https://www.edgepedia.org/amari-cooper) in the fourth quarter for what looked like the winning score before Marshall's tying pass to Coates.[1](https://auburntigers.com/news/2013/11/30/auburn-beats-bama-in-an-iron-bowl-for-the-ages)
## The 2013 season around the play
The Kick Six was Auburn's second consecutive dramatic finish. The previous week, the Tigers beat Georgia 34-28 on a tipped Marshall pass caught in stride by Ricardo Louis, a play known as the Prayer at Jordan-Hare.[1](https://auburntigers.com/news/2013/11/30/auburn-beats-bama-in-an-iron-bowl-for-the-ages) • [8](https://auburntigers.com/news/2023/12/7/remembering-the-2013-auburn-tigers-a-team-that-will-live-on-forever) The season took Auburn from a 3-7 record in 2012 to 11-1 and a second BCS championship game appearance in four years.[1](https://auburntigers.com/news/2013/11/30/auburn-beats-bama-in-an-iron-bowl-for-the-ages) • [8](https://auburntigers.com/news/2023/12/7/remembering-the-2013-auburn-tigers-a-team-that-will-live-on-forever)
## Broadcast calls and legacy
The play produced celebrated calls on both television and radio. [Verne Lundquist](https://www.edgepedia.org/verne-lundquist), calling the game for CBS with [Gary Danielson](https://www.edgepedia.org/gary-danielson), exclaimed "Chris! Davis! No flags! Touchdown Auburn! An answered prayer!"[9](https://time.com/31738/ncaa-tournament-2014-bracket-march-madness-broadcast/) Auburn radio announcer Rod Bramblett's call of the return has been ranked among the best in sports history, alongside [Al Michaels](https://www.edgepedia.org/al-michaels)'s "Miracle on Ice" call.[3](https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/34997694/building-perfect-college-football-rivalry)
**Lasting standing.** In a 2015 fan tournament run by NFL.com's College Football 24/7, the Kick Six was voted the greatest play in college football history, taking 68 percent of the vote against LSU's Bluegrass Miracle in the final.[4](https://www.nfl.com/news/what-we-learned-from-the-greatest-cfb-plays-tournament-0ap3000000505326) ESPN has described it as one of the most famous plays in the sport's history and a moment that flipped the Iron Bowl rivalry,[10](https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/29112792/remembering-our-favorite-college-football-rivalry-moments-20-years) and Saban admitted in 2017 that he would never get over the play.[11](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2715626-ranking-the-most-memorable-college-football-plays-since-2000) Ten years later, Auburn marked the anniversary with Davis recalling that he expected the kick to go out of bounds and was surprised he could field it: "The rest is history."
## References
1. [Auburn beats Bama in an Iron Bowl for the ages, AuburnTigers.com (November 30, 2013)](https://auburntigers.com/news/2013/11/30/auburn-beats-bama-in-an-iron-bowl-for-the-ages)
2. [The Kick Six, 10 years later: 'A great moment for Auburn', AuburnTigers.com (November 21, 2023)](https://auburntigers.com/news/2023/11/21/the-kick-six-10-years-later-a-great-moment-for-auburn)
3. [Building the perfect college football rivalry, ESPN](https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/34997694/building-perfect-college-football-rivalry)
4. [What we learned from the Greatest CFB Plays tournament, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/what-we-learned-from-the-greatest-cfb-plays-tournament-0ap3000000505326)
5. [Iron Bowl 2017: Why Alabama vs. Auburn game may be biggest in rivalry history, CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/iron-bowl-2017-why-this-alabama-vs-auburn-game-may-be-biggest-in-rivalry-history/)
6. [The Kick Six Iron Bowl's legendary radio and TV calls, explained, SB Nation](https://www.theoffside.com/college-football/2018/11/21/18030590/kick-six-iron-bowl-2013-radio-cbs)
7. [SEC Bowl Notes (2013), Vanderbilt Commodores](https://vucommodores.com/wp-content/uploads/2004/10/8432__m_footbl_2013_14_misc_non_event__SEC_bowl_notes_123013.pdf)
8. [Remembering the 2013 Auburn Tigers, AuburnTigers.com (December 7, 2023)](https://auburntigers.com/news/2023/12/7/remembering-the-2013-auburn-tigers-a-team-that-will-live-on-forever)
9. [Knock Back a Few Rounds With The Uncles of March Madness, Time](https://time.com/31738/ncaa-tournament-2014-bracket-march-madness-broadcast/)
10. [Remembering our favorite college football rivalry moments of the past 20 years, ESPN](https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/29112792/remembering-our-favorite-college-football-rivalry-moments-20-years)
11. [Ranking the Most Memorable College Football Plays Since 2000, Bleacher Report](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2715626-ranking-the-most-memorable-college-football-plays-since-2000)
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