AUBURN, Ala. – Chris Davis was convinced the 2013 Iron Bowl was headed to overtime, even as he stood near the back of the end zone one second away from making history.
“I knew he was going to miss the kick, but I thought it was going to be out of bounds,” Davis recalled, 10 years later. “As it was falling to me, I knew it was going to be short and I was going to be able to field it. The rest is history.”
Davis also made the play before The Play, knocking T.J. Yeldon out of bounds after a 24-yard run on what appeared to be the final play of regulation with Auburn and Alabama tied 28-28.
Anyone who saw it in person or on TV knows what happened next. A video review put one second back on the clock. Auburn called timeout and replaced Ryan Smith with Davis as the Tigers’ returner, his cleats planted barely inbounds.
Leading up to the game, Davis shared on social media his desire to impact the Iron Bowl on special teams after averaging 18.71 yards per punt return during the season, including an 85-yard touchdown in Auburn’s blowout win at Tennessee.
“I wanted to do that since I first got here,” said Davis, a standout kick returner at Woodlawn High School in Birmingham. “For a lot of people back home, that wasn’t anything big to them. They knew I could do that. They’d seen me do that my whole life. For the coaches who gave me the opportunity to do it, it meant a lot to me.”
Two weeks earlier, Auburn’s remarkable turnaround season seemingly crescendoed with the Prayer in Jordan-Hare – Nick Marshall’s deflected 73-yard touchdown pass to Ricardo Louis on fourth-and-18 to give the Tigers a 43-38 win over Georgia.
“I watched that firsthand from the sideline,” Davis said. “I think his play was better than the Kick Six because I was able to sit back and watch it.”
Two weeks later, football fans around the world watched Davis field Alabama’s errant 57-yard field goal, cut to his left and race down the sideline on what is officially listed as a 100-yard missed field goal return.
Everyone who witnessed it has a story to tell. Davis has heard them all.
“I think everybody would be able to tell you what they were doing,” Davis said. “I’ve heard everything. That was a proud moment. That’s something that will live on forever.
“I’ve heard about people picking their kids up, throwing them in the pool, falling off the couch, breaking TVs. I’ve heard everything you can think of.”
Auburn’s 34-28 win over top-ranked Alabama clinched the SEC Western Division title and earned the Tigers a trip to Atlanta to play Missouri in the SEC Championship, which Auburn won 59-42.
For Davis, who played professionally and has also coached, the Kick Six forever endeared him to Auburn people and opened doors to a lifetime of opportunities.
“Because I get to come back and do things like this,” Davis said while waiting to record his part in Auburn’s 2023 kickoff video that plays immediately before home games. “That play will be played in this stadium forever.
“That’s why a lot of athletes play the game, to be remembered. I just so happened to make that play in that time at that moment. That moment was for me, after everything I’d been through. I’m very appreciative of that.”
A decade later, the 2013 SEC champion Auburn Tigers reunite this weekend on the Plains.
“It’s still hard to explain 10 years later. I’m just glad to be a part of it,” Davis said. “I feel great about my role but that play wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the other 10 guys on the field doing their part to lead me to the end zone so hats off to them.
“It means the world to me. The Kick Six basically changed my life. That’s something that I’ll be remembered down here on Auburn’s campus forever, and that’s why I played the game.”
“I feel great about my role but that play wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the other 10 guys on the field doing their part to lead me to the end zone so hats off to them.”
IN THEIR OWN WORDS…
In addition to Davis, the 10 Auburn Tigers who also played a role in the Kick Six are Gabe Wright, Angelo Blackson, LaDarius Owens, Cassanova McKinzy, Jonathon Mincy, Jermaine Whitehead, Ryan Smith, Dee Ford, Kris Frost and Robenson Therezie.
KRIS FROST
“I was rushing from the left side. From that distance, we knew it would be a line drive kick. It was all about trying to get to the holder’s point. My responsibility was to take up the last gap between me and the last guy on the line of scrimmage on Alabama’s team. Therezie was outside of me, so if I could take those two blocks, then Therezie could pinch off the edge.
“We were so focused on our responsibility, I didn’t even know Chris was back there to return the kick. When the ball was snapped, we came off the edge, they got the ball off really quickly. The moment I turned around, I knew it wasn’t going to go all the way. Before I knew it, when the ball dropped, it dropped right to Chris’ hands. Then it was like, ‘Oh, man this is on.’
“It wasn’t something we practice; it wasn’t something we had rehearsed at all. We all knew the rules of the game. That was a big pat on the back to our coaches for having us prepared to act right in a situation that now is such a staple in college football today and something that’s practiced so much.
“When he caught the ball, my goal was to instantly find a block. By the time Chris got to the 30-yard line, I had seen who I was going to block and was narrowing on him. All I could think about was not getting a block in the back penalty. The best I could do was to get in the way. I knew he didn’t see me so I just had to bump him. I didn’t have to do anything heroic, just get in his way. Once he slid by me, it was unreal.
“It was just pandemonium. I think I started crying before we got to the end zone. I put my helmet down, laid on top of Chris and before I knew it, we were all getting crushed under this pile and we’re all screaming. It was this crazy moment of happiness. It was a party like no other. I think it took me an hour to get back to the other side of the field where our locker room was. It was a great moment for Auburn.”
JERMAINE WHITEHEAD
“It was one of those plays that we never really practiced. We saw it a little bit on film, never thought we’d actually have a chance to do it. We blocked a field goal earlier in the game and Ryan Smith was trying to return that one, so we knew we had a chance to block it, or they were going to miss it because it was a long field goal and Alabama had struggled kicking all year.
“We came up with a plan to let the D-line rush. I was a middle guy, 15 or 20 yards away from the ball, trying to set up like a punt return once we did get it. We were hoping they didn’t see Chris in the back or didn’t think we had the wherewithal to try to run it back.
“We called the timeout to try to freeze the kicker. All our coaches said was, ‘Set a wall.’ A lot of us had played special teams before so we got the picture of what we wanted to do. My job was to take the first hit off of him, not get any penalties and let him get a chance to get to those big old linemen and we knew he would beat them running.
“I didn’t even make it to the end zone. I was so shocked. I saw the fans running on the field. I was at midfield amazed and stunned at what had just happened. I looked to the Alabama sideline and got a chance to see Nick Saban drop his head. That was one of my favorite memories of my college career.
“It’s something to remember to this day. It was a great feeling. It’s one of those things I like to brag about and say we beat Alabama in one of the most memorable ways ever.”
JONATHON MINCY
“I was playing corner, so I was the safety of the defense. I was the corner on the line and Chris was far back. My job was to be aware of any kind of fakes. As soon as the ball was hiked, I started looking at the ball to see if the field goal was made or not. All I can remember seeing was Chris catching it. In that moment, I was like, ‘Oh wow, we’ve got a chance here,’ because I was always a fan of the things he was able to do with the ball in his hands.
“Once I saw him take off, I saw most of our defense get in line to get ready to start the wall. I remember seeing Robenson Therezie leading the way for him. All I could do was start backpedaling and put my hands up. An indescribable feeling.
“As soon as he crossed the goal line I went and tackled him. I was so happy for him to have that spotlight. Later on, Chris said, ‘You know I’m mad at you for tackling me because everybody jumped on top of me.’ I said, ‘Man, I’m sorry. I was just happy.’
“During the timeout, I remember the coaches telling Chris, ‘If you get an opportunity then take it.’ He was one of those guys who didn’t like the spotlight, didn’t talk much, but he was able to show his play on the field. The spotlight found him so he could never run from it again.”
