Greatest Play in Auburn History?

[lca408 379]

Okay so I had a thought as I'm driving to work this morning. I was thinking about the NC when I heard an Auburn themed commercial on the radio and an image of the goal line stand in the 3rd quarter popped into my head. It occurred to me that perhaps that 4th down play or that stand itself was the greatest defensive moment in Auburn history. Granted, our defense in 2010 wasn't the best in school history. There have been great defenses and great players on great teams, but can you think of a more important moment and decisive stand against an opponent so good at punching it in all year? Can you think of a more impressive defensive stand in Auburn history?

I got to thinking about other great moments. I would contend that the greatest offensive moment is probably a tie between Frank Sanders' catch vs. UAT in '93 and Bo over the Top in '82 but there are plenty of others I'm sure. Special teams would have to be Punt Bama Punt in '72.

What do y'all think?

Ryan

[Mikey 16,781]

There has to be a place for the penalty against LSU on our missed extra point in 2004. We got to kick again and won the game 10-9.

Maybe that one goes in the "Best call by a ref" category?

It's hard to argue with your selection of the 4th down play in the BCS game as Most Important.

Martavious Houston's fumble-causing hit on Sissum that allowed us to win the '97 Iron Bowl was a big play but it wasn't that big in overall importance. Maybe that '97 one should go under the heading of "Coaching blunders", since whatever dufus was calling them for UAT called a screen pass on the play, which was beyond stupid given the game situation.

[McWeagle 4]

Okay so I had a thought as I'm driving to work this morning. I was thinking about the NC when I heard an Auburn themed commercial on the radio and an image of the goal line stand in the 3rd quarter popped into my head. It occurred to me that perhaps that 4th down play or that stand itself was the greatest defensive moment in Auburn history. Granted, our defense in 2010 wasn't the best in school history. There have been great defenses and great players on great teams, but can you think of a more important moment and decisive stand against an opponent so good at punching it in all year? Can you think of a more impressive defensive stand in Auburn history?

I got to thinking about other great moments. I would contend that the greatest offensive moment is probably a tie between Frank Sanders' catch vs. UAT in '93 and Bo over the Top in '82 but there are plenty of others I'm sure. Special teams would have to be Punt Bama Punt in '72.

What do y'all think?

Ryan

Great question. I doubt it's a popular choice, but for me personally it was the 4th down conversion against LSU in '04. I always felt like that play won the game, that game defined the season, and that season got us to where we are today.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

To many choices to pick just one but high on my list would be Carter chasing down Ingram and punching the ball out as he ran for a TD n the IB that would have put the game out of reach. If Carter hadn't made that play we wouldn't even be in the NC game.

[RunInRed 18,089]

Nix to Sanders still gives me chills but in terms of modern history, I don't think there was a bigger play than 'Bo Over the Top'. It reshaped the landscape of this state and literally in one giant leap, set the foundation for what AU has achieved the last 30 years.

Some one will have to re-dig up the stats, but AU's national and in-state (vs. UAT) record post this game speaks for itself.

[lca408 379]

Just thinking off the top of my head, I know the punt block against UAT in 1949 by Travis Tidwell was pretty big in going to win that game. It was that win, over heavily favored Alabama that kinda got the Iron Bowl back going competitive again, especially since we had gotten drilled by Bama in 1948.

I think Connie Fredrick's 99 yard fake punt run for a TD in the '69 Iron Bowl would be up there too. I guess you could pick one of the kicks against Florida in '01 or '07 and maybe against UAT in '97.

But yeah, I think that with Bo over the Top in '82, the way things changed after that and it involving perhaps Auburn's greatest player moves it to the top offensive play. Of course, you could maybe say James Joseph's first over the top TD against UAT in '89 was pretty huge too - or the big catch by Alexander Wright on the previous play. I think maybe you could take the entire 1971 Georgia game as one of the biggest offensive moments in Auburn history just because it was the Heisman clinching performance for Pat Sullivan.

As far as overall defense, I would say my top 5 would be:

2011 BCS - Goal Line Stand

1993 vs. UF - Calvin Johnson 95 yard pick 6

1997 vs. UAT - Scissum hit and fumble

1987 vs. GT - Anduray Bruce 1 man show - sorry I can't remember how to spell Bruce's name

2004 vs. UGA - Carlos Rodgers INT

Offense:

1982 vs. UAT - Bo Over the Top

1993 vs. UAT - Sanders TD catch

1971 vs. UGA - Sullivan's performance

1986 vs. UAT - Tillman Reverse

2004 vs. LSU - Courtney Taylor 4th down/TD catch

Hon. Mention - 2010 vs. LSU - Cam 50 yd run

Hon. Mention - 1994 vs. UF - Sanders TD catch in Swamp

Ahh, its bringing back the memories!

Ryan

[banditmwp 713]

Nix to Sanders

Goalline Stand

Bo over the top

Cadillac's 80 yard TD run to open the '03 Iron Bowl

Dyer's stop and go in the BCS Championship to set up the field goal

Duval's field goal in the Tropical Storm to beat Florida

I can't choose...my brain is overloaded!!!

[Auburnfan91 1,408]

What about the 1994 LSU game? 3 INT's returned for Touchdowns.

You can't get much better defense than that.

[HSVTIGER 5]

There has to be a place for the penalty against LSU on our missed extra point in 2004. We got to kick again and won the game 10-9.

Maybe that one goes in the "Best call by a ref" category?

It's hard to argue with your selection of the 4th down play in the BCS game as Most Important.

Martavious Houston's fumble-causing hit on Sissum that allowed us to win the '97 Iron Bowl was a big play but it wasn't that big in overall importance. Maybe that '97 one should go under the heading of "Coaching blunders", since whatever dufus was calling them for UAT called a screen pass on the play, which was beyond stupid given the game situation.

I left the stadium that night still mad though because we were supposed to blow them out and instead, we won on a fluke play. It was also freezing cold.

[HSVTIGER 5]

Just thinking off the top of my head, I know the punt block against UAT in 1949 by Travis Tidwell was pretty big in going to win that game. It was that win, over heavily favored Alabama that kinda got the Iron Bowl back going competitive again, especially since we had gotten drilled by Bama in 1948.

I think Connie Fredrick's 99 yard fake punt run for a TD in the '69 Iron Bowl would be up there too. I guess you could pick one of the kicks against Florida in '01 or '07 and maybe against UAT in '97.

But yeah, I think that with Bo over the Top in '82, the way things changed after that and it involving perhaps Auburn's greatest player moves it to the top offensive play. Of course, you could maybe say James Joseph's first over the top TD against UAT in '89 was pretty huge too - or the big catch by Alexander Wright on the previous play. I think maybe you could take the entire 1971 Georgia game as one of the biggest offensive moments in Auburn history just because it was the Heisman clinching performance for Pat Sullivan.

As far as overall defense, I would say my top 5 would be:

2011 BCS - Goal Line Stand

1993 vs. UF - Calvin Johnson 95 yard pick 6

1997 vs. UAT - Scissum hit and fumble

1987 vs. GT - Anduray Bruce 1 man show - sorry I can't remember how to spell Bruce's name

2004 vs. UGA - Carlos Rodgers INT

Offense:

1982 vs. UAT - Bo Over the Top

1993 vs. UAT - Sanders TD catch

1971 vs. UGA - Sullivan's performance

1986 vs. UAT - Tillman Reverse

2004 vs. LSU - Courtney Taylor 4th down/TD catch

Hon. Mention - 2010 vs. LSU - Cam 50 yd run

Hon. Mention - 1994 vs. UF - Sanders TD catch in Swamp

Ahh, its bringing back the memories!

Ryan

I'll take Wes Byrum's 19-yard field goal on January 10.

[augrad68 165]

The one that has to be at the top for me happened on December 2, 1972. Alabama was 10-0 and favored by 16. Auburn was 8-1. With Alabama leading 16-0 with 10 minutes to go in the game, Auburn managed to get a field goal making it 16-3. Wikipedia states "On the ensuing possession Alabama was forced to punt. Auburn's Bill Newton blocked Greg Gantt's punt and his teammate David Langner ran the ball back 25 yards for an Auburn touchdown, narrowing the score to 16–10. Several minutes later, Alabama was forced to punt again and once again Newton blocked the punt and Langner again returned it for a touchdown. Gardner Jett kicked the extra point to give Auburn a 17–16 lead. The game so bothered legendary Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant that he vowed never again to have a 3 step punter."

So "PUNT BAMA PUNT" has to be the all time defensive show that Auburn made.

[mcgufcm 4,109]

Yeah, are we talking "greatest" play or "most significant"? Those aren't the same in my book.

In my lifetime, Bo Over the Top, Nix to Sanders, Campbell to on 4th down, and Dyer's Run have to be the most signficant. All of them save Bo are really the defining offensive play in an unbeaten season. Bo's dive really just changed every single thing about Auburn football.

But I'm not sure those plays would make my "greatest" play lists. CT's conversion would, but Sander's catch in the Swamp in 94 was a better play (i.e. higher degree of difficulty) than the play against Bama. Carnell's 80 yard run was better than Dyer's run because one was perfect execution while the other was largely a fluke. Cox to Aromashodu in Athens in 2005 was an incredible play given the circumstances.

It's too hard. Plus, none of them will ever achieve the fame of Punt Bama Punt.

[aucanucktiger 1,850]

Greatest as in...

remembered 'til end of time: Bama's 2d punt in '72 (Punt, Bama, Punt)

most important for Auburn: Dyer's knee is...wait, no it's not! Everybody stopped except Dyer!

most exciting (IMO): Jim Fyfe" OMG! He caught it! TD auburn! TD auburn!

we may never see again: last of 3 ints for a TD (6 total) vs LSU '94, AU down 23-6 & won 30-26...OR our 7th sack in 1st half (of Brody Croyle...sacked 11 times that game) against a top 10 Bama in the Ironbowl. Just...freaky

[AUloggerhead 2,506]

...Cadillac's 80 yard TD run to open the '03 Iron Bowl ...

I've always liked this one. Remember Carnell got hurt early in the '01 game and had to leave, & then missed the '02 game entirely with an injury. So him going 80 yds untouched on the very first play must have been some sweet redemeption for him. Immortalized forever here at youTube:

WDE Carnell

[DCWarEagle 0]

Very difficult to narrow it down to one "greatest" play in Auburn history.

I'd like to pick something from the BCS National Championship Game b/c that was/is probably the single greatest win in modern Auburn history, but the problem is that there are at least three plays in that one game that can make an argument as the most important: the fourth down goal line stand, Dyer's "he isn't down" run, and Byrum's game-winning kick with time expiring.

In my mind the most significant play in Auburn history (at least in my lifetime) was Bo Over the Top. That one play propelled us to an Iron Bowl win that snapped Bama's winning streak and was a symbolic end to Bama and Bear's domination of Auburn.

My personal favorite play is probably the Nix to Sanders TD in the Swamp in 1994, with honorable mentions going to Campbell-Taylor TD pass against LSU in 2004, Nix to Sanders in the 1993 Iron Bowl and Carter's strip in this year's Iron Bowl.

Favorite play from a loss: the onside kick against Bama in 2009. It showed that we were going for the throat.

[cptau 169]

Picking greatest plays is really one of those things that has to be done years later.

The 2010 season will always be a standout years for big plays, but we thought that about 2004, until this year.

One big play that was not of overall importance was at the end of the 2007 Iron bowl at JHS. Auburn had the ball leading.

Brandon Cox scored on a 1-yard sneak with 3:58 left and AU led 17 to 7

Alabama's Leigh Tiffin kicked a 49-yard field goal with 2:11 to make it 17-10

Auburn then recovered an onside kick by Alabama.

Brad Lester then gained 12 yards on fourth-and-1 to allow Auburn to hold the ball and run out the clock.

When Lester ran that ball up the middle on Bama, he carried the entire Bama defense for 10 yards before he was pulled down. An amazing play that gave us 6 in an row.

[subterranean_jack 113]

The one that has to be at the top for me happened on December 2, 1972. Alabama was 10-0 and favored by 16. Auburn was 8-1. With Alabama leading 16-0 with 10 minutes to go in the game, Auburn managed to get a field goal making it 16-3. Wikipedia states "On the ensuing possession Alabama was forced to punt. Auburn's Bill Newton blocked Greg Gantt's punt and his teammate David Langner ran the ball back 25 yards for an Auburn touchdown, narrowing the score to 16–10. Several minutes later, Alabama was forced to punt again and once again Newton blocked the punt and Langner again returned it for a touchdown. Gardner Jett kicked the extra point to give Auburn a 17–16 lead. The game so bothered legendary Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant that he vowed never again to have a 3 step punter."

So "PUNT BAMA PUNT" has to be the all time defensive show that Auburn made.

The 2nd blocked punt returned for a TD in this game is the defining moment in Auburn football for me.

After this game, Auburn became known for working hard, playing tough as nails defense, fighting to the end, and showing more character than the school from West Vance.

All the other plays make me smile remembering them, but this one moment still gives me chills and brings a tear to my eye every time I hear a replay of Gary Sanders calling the game.

[TitanTiger 21,042]

My personal list:

1. It's actually two plays. Back to back blocked punts, caught on one hop by the same guy and both returned for TDs in the 1972 Iron Bowl.

2. Nix to Sanders in the 1993 Iron Bowl on 4th down.

3. Lawyer Tillman's reverse for a TD with 20 something seconds left to win the 1986 Iron Bowl.

4. Again multiple plays...the three 4th quarter INTs returned for TDs vs LSU in 1994.

5. Cam Newton's 49-yd TD run vs LSU this year.

[banditmwp 713]

...Cadillac's 80 yard TD run to open the '03 Iron Bowl ...

I've always liked this one. Remember Carnell got hurt early in the '01 game and had to leave, & then missed the '02 game entirely with an injury. So him going 80 yds untouched on the very first play must have been some sweet redemeption for him. Immortalized forever here at youTube:

WDE Carnell

Then watch this one...I love Bramblett's call on here. Probably my favorite of his to date

[TxWarEagle 3]

Excellent choices already made.

I'll add Calvin Jackson's 95+ int for a touchdown against Florida in 1993. Had Florida scored there, I doubt that we win that game. The stadium eruption was one of the loudest I ever heard.

[BZ770 2]

2005 GA Cox to Aromashadu on 4th down. I was at a party and thought we had lost then all hell broke loose.

[jj3jordan 2,157]

The one that has to be at the top for me happened on December 2, 1972. Alabama was 10-0 and favored by 16. Auburn was 8-1. With Alabama leading 16-0 with 10 minutes to go in the game, Auburn managed to get a field goal making it 16-3. Wikipedia states "On the ensuing possession Alabama was forced to punt. Auburn's Bill Newton blocked Greg Gantt's punt and his teammate David Langner ran the ball back 25 yards for an Auburn touchdown, narrowing the score to 16–10. Several minutes later, Alabama was forced to punt again and once again Newton blocked the punt and Langner again returned it for a touchdown. Gardner Jett kicked the extra point to give Auburn a 17–16 lead. The game so bothered legendary Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant that he vowed never again to have a 3 step punter."

So "PUNT BAMA PUNT" has to be the all time defensive show that Auburn made.

That was awesome and I was there. All the scoring in the north end zone. Little known fact: David Langner and Greg Gantt played on the same high school team, Woodlawn HS in Birmingham. I used to shag punts for Greg at the beginning of varsity practice until freshman team practice started after school. Also, I attended 2 games that year in Auburn using David Langner's student ID and a student ticket for me and my date. We didn't look alike.

[AUn Collierville 1]

Not the greatest play but one of my favorites...Eddins' sack vs. LSU in 2004...

[kickerman97 3]

Not the greatest play but one of my favorites...Eddins sack vs. LSU in 2004...

Greatest game I have ever been to. Part of that was the game itself and also the fact that it was the last game I had the pleasure of attending with my Father. It was also my senior year at AU.

[AUn Collierville 1]

Another very recent favorite play...and not because the arrogant SOB got hurt...because T Bell threw him down like a rag doll!