By Kyle Van Pelt

On November 30, 2019, the Auburn Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide met to play the 83rd Iron Bowl at Auburn University’s Jordan-Hare Stadium. The relative underdogs, Auburn, managed to pull off a narrow 48-45 victory in a game filled with explosive plays and costly mistakes. 

The Auburn – Alabama rivalry is something unique. Both teams are likely NCAA championship contenders nearly every year, while fans of both teams go as far as damaging historic property and greatly endangering themselves merely to storm the field as quickly as possible. This rivalry has existed since the two schools were operating simultaneously and has only heated up since the introduction of the Iron Bowl. With every passing generation of alumni and fans, more stories of the rivalry are played out and told leaving no end in sight to this intrastate competition.

This year the true freshman quarterback Bo Nix lead Auburn’s football team while Tua Tagovailoa led Alabama’s. Both men were instrumental in the game’s unusually high score and played with impressive skill, especially considering the skill of both teams’ defenses. Plays frequently exceeded 20 yards gained whether passing or running. Alabama even performed a 100 yard punt return, keeping them in the game after an Auburn touchdown. With the lead trading back and forth throughout the game, Auburn’s defense finally managed to clench their 2 point victory by holding Alabama back, forcing them to attempt a long shot field goal which, in an almost cinematic fashion, bounced off of an upright missing the target by inches. Immediately after the game clock ran out, Auburn fans stormed the field, celebrating their tight victory.