Jalen Milroe and Isaiah Bond rescued number eight ranked Alabama's playoff hopes, connecting for a last-minute touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the thirty one yard line to beat Auburn 27-24 on Saturday.
Bond caught Milroe's desperation heave in the left corner of the end zone with 32 seconds left to give the Crimson Tide a 10th straight win in the latest dramatic Iron Bowl at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Trailing by four with 1:43 left, Alabama had first-and-goal at the Auburn 7 before moving backward. The Crimson Tide lost eighteen yards on a bad snap and were pushed back five more yards with an illegal downfield pass on third down after Milroe crossed the line of scrimmage.
Two years ago, Alabama needed four overtimes to beat the Tigers on the Plains, where the Kick Six went down in college football history a decade ago.
Alabama nearly returned an interception for another touchdown on the final play. But this game will be remembered around the state for fourth-and-31, a play where Auburn didn't try to put any pressure on Milroe before he spotted Bond.
Ja'Varrius Johnson scored on a twenty seven yard touchdown catch and a twelve yard run to put the Tigers in position to win.
Milroe passed for 259 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 107 more yards. Jermaine Burton had 107 yards receiving, including a 68-yard touchdown. Bond had five catches for 75 yards.
Payton Thorne passed for ninety one yards and a touchdown and ran for fifty eight yards for Auburn. Jarquez Hunter ran for ninety three yards and Damari Alston gained eighty five.
Favored by twelve and a half points in this one, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, Alabama gets to face number one ranked Georgia in the SEC Championship Game with the playoff hopes intact, if still precarious.
A muffed punt gave Alabama the ball on the Auburn 30 with 4:48 left. But cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett upended a scrambling Milroe a yard shy of the first down on third-and-20. Roydell Williams took a pitch and converted the fourth down, setting up the go-ahead score.
Midway through the third quarter, Thorne hit a wide-open Johnson for a touchdown that put Auburn ahead 21-20. Alex McPherson's 21-yard field goal made it 24-20 with 10 minutes left.
