1997 Iron Bowl

1997-11-22

Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL

ALABAMA

17

VS

AUBURN

18

WINNER

Game Summary

The 1997 Iron Bowl will always be remembered for a single, heartbreaking play for Alabama fans. In a game dominated by defense and tension, #13 Auburn edged Alabama 18-17 at Jordan-Hare Stadium to clinch the SEC West. With Alabama leading 17-15 late in the fourth quarter, they were driving to run out the clock. On a critical 3rd-and-8, quarterback Freddie Kitchens threw a screen pass to fullback Ed Scissum. Scissum fought for the first down but fumbled the ball, and Auburn recovered. The turnover gave the Tigers new life. Auburn drove down the field, and kicker Jaret Holmes nailed a 39-yard field goal to give Auburn an 18-17 lead. Alabama had one final desperation drive, but a long 57-yard field goal attempt fell short.

Series Snapshot

#62

Meeting of 90

35-26-1

Series after game

5-3-0

Record in the 1990s through this game

#84

Widest-margin rank

Before this meeting, the archive record stood at Alabama 35, Auburn 25, with 1 tie. The 1997 result moved it to Alabama 35, Auburn 26, with 1 tie.

This was the 8th listed Iron Bowl of the 1990s. Through this game, Alabama had 5 wins, Auburn had 3, and the decade included 0 ties.

The teams combined for 35 points, ranking #51 in total scoring among the 90 meetings in the current archive, with 4 games sharing that total. The 1-point margin ranks #84 by size, shared by 6 games.

This archive page combines verified game data with available rivalry context for the modern series record. In the surrounding chronology, the previous listed meeting was 1996 and the next was 1998.

Decisive Moment

Ed Scissum's fumble late in the fourth quarter set up Auburn's game-winning field goal.

Key Players

Jaret Holmes (Auburn)

Dameyune Craig (Auburn) ↗

Freddie Kitchens (Alabama)

Ed Scissum (Alabama)

📜

Historical Deep Dive

The 1997 Iron Bowl will always be remembered for a single, heartbreaking play for Alabama fans. In a game dominated by defense and tension, #13 Auburn edged Alabama 18-17 at Jordan-Hare Stadium to clinch the SEC West.

The Ed Scissum Fumble

With Alabama leading 17-15 late in the fourth quarter, they were driving to run out the clock. On a critical 3rd-and-8, quarterback Freddie Kitchens threw a screen pass to fullback Ed Scissum. Scissum fought for the first down but fumbled the ball, and Auburn recovered. The turnover gave the Tigers new life.

The Kick

Auburn drove down the field, and kicker Jaret Holmes nailed a 39-yard field goal to give Auburn an 18-17 lead. Alabama had one final desperation drive, but a long 57-yard field goal attempt fell short. The victory was a signature win for Terry Bowden and kept Auburn’s SEC Championship hopes alive, while Alabama was left to wonder “what if.”