By Jack Bradley

Waking up to the sound of a phone alarm is one of the most obnoxious things in life, but Saturday, November 27 was different. The whole house woke up at 9:30 a.m. Central time ready to seize the moment. My mother, father, brother, and I were staying with my dad’s fraternity brother, his wife, and two kids. By 10:30, we were in the car with a stomach full of food on the way to the tailgate, set up close to Jordan-Hare Stadium. While walking around, we noticed the diverse groups of kids and families that had gathered beside us. There were not just college kids all over the place, but families too. 

My family and I traveled to Auburn, Alabama to watch the Iron Bowl. This is an annual college football game where the Auburn Tigers take on the Alabama Crimson Tide, one of the most storied rivalries in sports. The first-ever match-up between the two was on February 22, 1893. Auburn has a win-loss record of 37-47-1. 

At these tailgates, my father’s fraternity brother uses a new food service called Tailgate Guys. At each home game at Auburn, Tailgate Guys will bring trays of food to each tailgate that orders. They provided our tailgate with delicious tacos. 

Afterward, my brother, Ryder Bradley (‘25), and I walked into the game at 2:15 p.m., right after the eagle had flown. 

The story of the Auburn bald eagle dates back to the Civil War. A doctor found a wounded bald eagle and took him back home with him. The doctor was a professor at Auburn and would bring the bird everywhere with him. During the 1892 Auburn-Georgia football game, the bald eagle took off from the professor and circled the stadium at halftime. Though the eagle had a hurt wing and tragically died due to nose-diving into the ground, the bald eagle has become a significant symbol to Auburn. At every kick-off, everyone loudly chants “War” and when the ball is kicked into the air, the fans finish by saying “Eagle.” 

The Auburn football team about to take the field. Photo credit: Jack Bradley.

“War Eagle” is also a way of greeting people. When an Auburn fan sees or meets another Auburn fan, they will most likely say “War Eagle” to each other. On our flight to Atlanta, an Auburn fan saw my dad’s Auburn sweatshirt and greeted him by saying “War Eagle.”

The stadium was sold out, and the fans were roaring. Jordan-Hare Stadium can hold 87,451, and there was not an open seat in sight, with the majority of people being Auburn fans.

At 2:30, the game was on its way, with Auburn receiving the ball. Both teams kept the suspense going due to the shut-out in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Auburn’s wide receiver Kobe Hudson scored a 15-yard touchdown. The stadium became electric with Auburn’s fight song being sung loud and proud by every Auburn fan there. Going into halftime, my stress level was lowered, but seeing the rankings, I knew Alabama was not out of this game. The Tigers were unranked, and the Crimson Tide were ranked third in the country. 

Going into the third quarter, everyone was on their feet. It was another back-and-forth quarter until Auburn scored a field goal. Again, the fight song rang out through the stadium as Auburn had taken a two-possession lead. 

Going into 4th quarter. Photo credit: Jack Bradley.

Then came the final quarter, Auburn leading with a score of 10-0. T. J. Finley, the Auburn quarterback, threw an interception, which was turned into a field goal by Alabama, making the score 10-3. With a minute left in the fourth quarter, Alabama had the ball. Everyone was lining up in the aisles ready to storm the field, but then Alabama scored a touchdown with 24 seconds remaining in the quarter. All of the fans were devastated. I was nervous that Auburn was not going to hold their ground in overtime.  

In college football overtime rules, both teams get a chance of scoring. Each team starts with the ball 25 yards out from the end zone. That is for the first overtime. For the second overtime, both teams repeat the rules from the first overtime, but they both have to attempt a 2-point conversion. In the third and fourth overtimes, the football team lines up for a 2-point conversion. 

Alabama started with the ball and scored. Then Auburn scored, making it 17-17 at the end of the first overtime. I was standing on the edge of the aisle biting my fingernails due to the anxiety the game was giving me. 

John Metchie III scoring the two-point conversion for Alabama. Photo credit: Nick Kelly of the Tuscaloosa News.

Into the second overtime, we went with everyone’s eyes fixed on the field. Auburn went three and out and kicked a field goal. I thought to myself, This is the end of the game. Alabama is too good not to score a touchdown. But, to my amazement, Alabama also kicked a field goal. The score was tied 20-20 going into the third overtime. At this point, it was anyone’s game. Alabama came onto the field and scored the two-point conversion. It was all up to Auburn, a tie or lose situation. To my surprise, Auburn converted, and we were heading into the fourth overtime. 

Auburn started with the ball, as I watched the center snap the ball, I saw the game playing out for Auburn to win, but Auburn missed the conversion. Alabama had the ball, and this was our last hope. Sadly, they scored, ending the game with a final score of 24-22 for Alabama.

My experience at the Iron Bowl was a fantastic time, besides the loss. I could not think of a better game to attend.