SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 30, 2013
No. 5 Auburn 34, No. 1 Alabama 28: Chris Davis returned a failed field-goal attempt more than 100 yards on the last play of the game as the host Tigers shocked the top-ranked Crimson Tide to claim the SEC West title.
The game appeared destined for overtime after Auburn's Nick Marshall's 39-yard touchdown pass to Sammie Coates tied it at 28 with 32 seconds left, but Alabama (11-1, 7-1 SEC) drove to the Tigers' 38-yard line and had one second put back on the clock after a review. Backup kicker Adam Griffith came on to try a 57-yard field goal, but it came up short and Davis took it out of the end zone and up the left sideline, tip-toeing along the line before breaking free around midfield and coasting to the winning score.
Tre Mason rushed for 164 yards and a touchdown for the Tigers (11-1, 7-1) and Marshall rushed for 99 yards and a score and threw two touchdown passes. T.J. Yeldon rushed for 141 yards and a score for Alabama, and A.J. McCarron passed for 277 yards and three TDs, including 178 yards and a score on six connections with Amari Cooper.
Marshall's 45-yard scamper opened the scoring with 5:05 left in the first quarter, but the Crimson Tide scored touchdowns on three straight possessions in the second quarter to take control. The Tigers went 81 yards in seven plays before halftime, scoring on Mason's 1-yard plunge to pull within 21-14.
The Tigers tied it on Marshall's 13-yard TD pass to C.J. Uzomah with 11:56 left in the third quarter and had Alabama pinned at its own 1 when McCarron hooked up with Cooper for a school-record 99-yard touchdown pass with 10:28 remaining. Alabama kicker Cade Foster missed two field goals and had another blocked, prompting the Crimson Tide to turn to Griffith on the potential game-winning kick that Davis took the other way.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Mason is the second player to top 100 rushing yards against Alabama under coach Nick Saban, joining Arkansas' Darren McFadden in 2007. … Marshall's first-quarter TD run was Auburn's first offensive touchdown against Alabama since 2010. … Auburn has scored at least 30 points in eight consecutive games and has won 87 straight when hitting the 30-point mark.