Nick Saban recalls most memorable Iron Bowl at Alabama

Nick Saban has coached numerous memorable Iron Bowl games in his time at Alabama, and he holds a 9-5 record against Auburn in his time at the helm.

Many of the unforgettable moments — the Kick Six and Cam Newton’s miraculous comeback, to name a few — have come in a Crimson Tide loss. The kick six is largely considered one of the greatest, most unbelievable plays in college football history, as Auburn’s Chris Davis returned a missed field-goal attempt the length of the field for a game-winning touchdown as time expired. Yet, despite all that’s transpired over the years, Saban’s fondest, most memorable Iron Bowl was not one of those hard-to-believe outcomes.

It actually came just last year, when Alabama ran away with a 42-13 victory at home, making for a rather uneventful turn in what’s otherwise been an exciting rivalry.

“I guess my memories from last year’s game, when I was sitting at home watching it on TV, probably would be the most different memory,” Saban said with a smile.

Though the reporter asked Saban to recall his favorite Iron Bowl memory from his time at Alabama, the Crimson Tide head coach instead responded with the one that was most memorable. And unsurprisingly, the first that came to mind was last season’s — not just because of its recency. Saban tested positive for COVID-19 before last year’s contest and was forced to sit out the game against Auburn, making for one unique coaching experience.

“Look, there’s been some crazy things happen [in the Iron Bowl],” Saban said. “The last time we played down there [at Auburn], we had a chance to get the ball back, they had the quarterback in the game, I already mentioned the kick-six, one year we had like five chances to score inside the red zone in the fourth quarter and never scored a point. They came back and tied the game and we got beat. Then we’ve had some really, really good games that we’ve played as well. You seem to remember the ones that didn’t go well the most because they hurt the most.

“What we’re focused on is not what happened in the past but what we need to do to play well in this game this week.”