Football: Missouri headed to SEC Championship Game | 6C
Sports
S u n d a y , D e c e m b e r 1, 2013
the choice of
champions 525 Greensboro Ave. • Downtown
752-6931
www.TheShirtShop.biz
Section C
www.tuscaloosanews.com
34
28
kicking themselves Davis’ 100-yard run gives Auburn another wild win; Tigers knock No. 1 Alabama out of BCS title race
staff photo | michelle lepianka carter
Alabama tight end Brian Vogler (84) fails to stop Auburn tight end Chris Davis (11), who ran back a missed field-goal attempt 100 yards on the final play of the game to beat the top-ranked Crimson Tide, 34-28, at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn on Saturday.
Series of Tide mistakes opens the door for Auburn win By Cecil Hurt Sports Editor
AUBURN | Alabama walked right up to the door. But it didn’t close the door. So Auburn walked through it. In the most improbable AlabamaAuburn ending ever, the Tigers scored two touchdowns in the final seconds — the game-winner on a 100 -yard return of a missed field goal — to take a 34-28 win and effectively crush Alabama’s loftiest dreams in a single, improbable stroke. A labama’s quest for a second straight Southeastern Conference championship is over, and, barring the craziest final-weekend BCS chaos ever, so is the run for a third straight BCS title. Auburn, meanwhile, wins the SEC West and will
not enough:
play in Atlanta next week for the title. “For the seniors, I feel really badly,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “They have had a great career. I told the team I was proud of them. Everyone knew what we had before us, but we didn’t make the plays we needed to make, and that responsibility starts with me. It’s my responsibility. “I think you have to give Auburn’s players a lot of credit. They made the plays they needed to make today.” The final fateful decision to bring backup kicker Adam Griffith into the game for a 57-yard field goal try almost never happened, as the game clock appeared to have expired on the Crimson Tide’s last run by T.J. staff photo | michelle lepianka carter Yeldon. Instead, the officials con- Alabama players Jalston Fowler (45) Ha Ha Clintonferred and, instead of sending the Dix (6) and Jarrick Williams (20) walk off the field afSee T ide | 3C ter the Crimson Tide’s 34-28 loss.
page 3c McCarron plays well, but can’t deliver an Alabama win
fake out:
Tide defense bites on game-tying touchdown pass
High Tide turned into shattered dreams
page 4c big moment:
Davis’ 100-yard run will live forever in Iron Bowl lore
longest second: Saban says Tide didn’t cover final play properly
AUBURN here were 10 minutes and 28 seconds left to play. And it was high tide. At that moment, everything seemed to have come together for Alabama. When AJ McCarron, throwing out of his own end zone, found Amari Cooper for a 99-yard touchdown, it seemed that the world was indeed perfect for Alabama. The Crimson Tide appeared poised to win the game and continue its march to Pasadena. McCarron would win the Heisman — at least Twitter exploded with “Heisman moment!” tweets even before Cooper finished Cecil racing to the end zone. Hurt Alabama had not been perfect, but it had responded as it has so many times before. It had silenced the crowd and, seemingly, weathered the storm. It was high tide. See Hurt | 4C
T
page 5c analysis:
Alabama failed to stop Auburn’s running game
notebook:
Foster has nightmare day with field goal attempts
breakdown:
How UA’s Yeldon and AU’s Mason fared on Saturday
online four downs:
Questions about the Tide’s performance answered
For video and a photo gallery of the game, go to www.tidesports.com