I am still in shock of what happened at Auburn Saturday night. My mind may never be able to wrap around the final play of that game or understand how it happened, but that may be a good thing. It was the greatest ending to a football game I have ever seen.
Most football games end with little to no drama or with one team in the victory formation, but sometimes, if we are lucky enough, we get to see a game end in a miracle, in such a fashion that we know we just witnessed history. The way Auburn won on a 109 field goal return for a touchdown is right up there if not higher then the “Hail Flutie,” “The Play” and “The Miracle at Michigan.”
Alabama was undefeated, looking to claim their third straight National Championship, which had only been done once before. However, none of that matters when you have two teams of one of the most intense rivalry games in college football fighting for a spot in the National Championship. Auburn went down 21-7 in the second quarter. They seemed dead but they kept breathing. We have read this script before, teams come out to play against Alabama but it doesn’t last long because they physically wear their opponent down and go in for the kill.
While we all thought Auburn was dead, they were unwilling to accept that fate. They withstood 21 straight second-quarter points scored by Alabama, a turnover that killed a drive and a 99-yard touchdown pass that seemed to be the dagger. But with one second left, the ball found the hands of Chris Davis and he returned the field goal attempt 109 yards to win the game. Alabama kicked the game-winning touchdown. Unbelievable.
Watching this happen, I questioned what my eyes were witnessing. This couldn’t actually be happening, but it was. I was shell-shocked watching the SEC’s worst team last year bring an end to the college footballs’ empire, making the ending that much sweeter. How did it happen? I have no idea, but roll tears, roll.