Auburn football's Hugh Freeze remembers 4th-and-31 in Iron Bowl loss to Alabama: 'Sickening'

Hugh Freeze's first season as the Auburn football coach might have been a resounding success, if not for two plays in the Iron Bowl.

The fourth-straight loss in the annual showdown with rival Alabama were impacted by a muffed punt by Koy Moore, followed by Jalen Milroe's famous (or infamous) fourth-and-31 touchdown pass to Isaiah Bond. A win against the No. 8-ranked Crimson Tide could have largely erased the embarrassment of a loss to New Mexico State. Instead, the Tigers were on the wrong end of one of the wildest finishes in Iron Bowl history.

Speaking at an Auburn Alumni Association’s AMBUSH tour in Alexander City, Freeze talked about the play — and how it still bothers him.

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"My stomach just turned and rolled because we should be 1-0 in the Iron Bowl," Freeze said. "And that means something to me and our people and our players. It's sickening that we didn't get it done in that game."

With Auburn leading 24-20 with less than a minute left in the game, the Tigers seemed poised for a major upset win and a chance to knock rival Alabama out of the SEC Championship Game. Auburn rushed just two players, allowing Milroe to scan the field. He found Bond, who broke open on a seam route and corralled the pass to give Alabama the lead with 32 seconds remaining.

While the loss eats away at Freeze, he said he doesn't plan to use the single play as motivation by showing his team clips of it on re-runs.

"I think things like that — those are insignificant motivation long-term because you lost a game that you could have won," Freeze said. "I really don't use that a whole lot."

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The 4th-and-31 conversion was the final act for 17-year Alabama head coach Nick Saban in the Iron Bowl. Saban retired with a 12-5 record against the Tigers, including wins in the final four matchups for the first time of his Crimson Tide tenure. Saban announced his retirement on Jan. 10, nine days after the Crimson Tide fell to eventual national champion Michigan in the College Football Playoff Rose Bowl semifinal game.

Alabama has since hired Washington's Kalen DeBoer, marking a new chapter in the 89th meeting between the program's scheduled for Nov. 30 from Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.