Classic SEC Football: Alabama Tops Auburn in 1985 in 'the Kick'

Every Friday, The SEC Blog will feature one classic game from the storied history of SEC football.

Auburn and Alabama met in the 1985 Iron Bowl at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala. in a game that is recognized as one of the best Iron Bowls in the series' history.

The Tigers were 8-2, while the Crimson Tide entered the game with a 7-2-1 record. 

As is the case with most Iron Bowls, national implications take a back seat when state pride is on the line.

The Crimson Tide took a 16-10 lead in to halftime thanks to the foot of Van Tiffin, who kicked three first-half field goals.

The two teams were held scoreless in the third quarter, but the intrigue in this one was just getting started.

Alabama quarterback Mike Shula threw an interception in the end zone early in the fourth quarter, which set up a 16-play, 80-yard touchdown drive for the Tigers, culminating with a Bo Jackson touchdown plunge to take a 17-16 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Alabama running back Gene Jelks scored on a 26-yard scamper just one minute later to give the Tide the 22-17 lead.

Auburn bled the clock on an 11-play, 70-yard drive that concluded with a Reggie Ware touchdown run. The Tigers would miss the two-point conversion, but still maintained a 23-22 lead with under a minute to play.

On second down from the 20-yard line, Shula was sacked for an eight-yard loss with only 37 seconds remaining. A long completion set up 4th-and-short, which Alabama converted on a reverse to Al Bell, who gained 20 yards. Shula then hit Greg Richardson, who dragged defenders out of bounds on the 35-yard line to set up the game's final play.

The kicking team scrambled to get on to the field, not knowing that the clock was not running, and Van Tiffin hit a 52-yard field goal as time expired to give the Crimson Tide the 25-23 win.

The game didn't have the national implications that we have come to expect of this rivalry, but the furious fourth quarter that saw four lead changes and the dramatic finish makes this game one of the top games in Iron Bowl history.

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