4th and 31
4th and 31 (also known as Gravedigger, The Nightmare in Jordan-Hare, The Milthrow, or Hail Milroe) was a play in the 88th edition of the Iron Bowl college football game played on November 25, 2023, at Jordan–Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. The game featured the No. 8-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (10–1, 7–0 in the SEC) as a 14.5-point favorite over the Auburn Tigers (6–5, 3–4 in the SEC). This game was played close to the 10-year anniversary of the Kick Six, which also took place in the Jordan–Hare Stadium.
After holding a 6-point lead in the middle of the 3rd quarter, Alabama found themselves trailing Auburn 24–20 late in the 4th quarter. The Crimson Tide had a 1st and goal from the Auburn 7-yard line with 1:43 left in the game. A bad snap and an illegal pass downfield sent them back, and they were suddenly facing a 4th down and goal from the Auburn 31-yard line. From there, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe connected with wide receiver Isaiah Bond in the back left corner of the end zone for a touchdown with 32 seconds remaining to take a 27–24 lead. Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne took a sack and then threw an interception as the clock ran out, giving Alabama their eleventh win of the season.[1]
The game was played in front of a sellout crowd of 88,043 and televised nationwide on CBS, garnering peak viewership of just over 9 million viewers.[2] In a game with potential College Football Playoff implications and featuring one of the sport's most contested rivalries, the improbable fourth down conversion was recognized by fans and pundits as being one of the greatest plays in modern college football history immediately upon the game's conclusion.
The play
After holding a 6-point lead in the middle of the 3rd quarter, Alabama found themselves trailing Auburn 24–20 late in the 4th quarter. The Crimson Tide had a 1st and goal from the Auburn 7-yard line with 1:43 left in the game. A bad snap and an illegal pass downfield sent them back, and they were suddenly facing a 4th down and goal from the Auburn 31-yard line. From there, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe connected with wide receiver Isaiah Bond in the back left corner of the end zone for a touchdown with 32 seconds remaining to take a 27–24 lead.
Scoring summary
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Statistics
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References
- ↑ AP (November 25, 2023). "Milroe's TD pass to Bond on fourth-and-31 rescues No. 8 Alabama in 27-24 win over Auburn". ESPN. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedAlabama-Auburn 2023 Nielsen Ratings - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedAlabama-Auburn 2023 game box score on ESPN
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