2002 Iron Bowl

2002-11-23

Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, AL

ALABAMA

Ranked #9

7

VS

AUBURN

17

WINNER

Game Summary

The 2002 Iron Bowl produced one of the most unlikely heroes in the rivalry's history. With starters Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown banged up, Auburn turned to backup running back Tre Smith. The freshman responded with the game of his life, leading unranked Auburn to a stunning 17-7 upset over #9 Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Auburn dominated the first half, jumping out to a 17-0 lead. Smith was the workhorse, carrying the ball 25 times for 126 yards. His ability to grind out tough yards kept the powerful Alabama offense off the field. On defense, Auburn was spectacular, holding Alabama to just 50 rushing yards and forcing turnovers that crippled the Tide's comeback attempts. Alabama finally scored in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late.

Series Snapshot

#67

Meeting of 90

38-28-1

Series after game

1-2-0

Record in the 2000s through this game

#46

Widest-margin rank

Before this meeting, the archive record stood at Alabama 38, Auburn 27, with 1 tie. The 2002 result moved it to Alabama 38, Auburn 28, with 1 tie.

This was the 3rd listed Iron Bowl of the 2000s. Through this game, Alabama had 1 win, Auburn had 2, and the decade included 0 ties.

The teams combined for 24 points, ranking #72 in total scoring among the 90 meetings in the current archive, with 2 games sharing that total. The 10-point margin ranks #46 by size, shared by 7 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 2001 and the next was 2003.

Decisive Moment

Tre Smith's consistent rushing allowed Auburn to control the clock and keep Alabama's offense on the sidelines.

Key Players

Tre Smith (Auburn)

Jason Campbell (Auburn) ↗

Karlos Dansby (Auburn) ↗

Santonio Beard (Alabama)

📜

Historical Deep Dive

The 2002 Iron Bowl produced one of the most unlikely heroes in the rivalry’s history. With starters Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown banged up, Auburn turned to backup running back Tre Smith. The freshman responded with the game of his life, leading unranked Auburn to a stunning 17-7 upset over #9 Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The Upset Formula

Auburn dominated the first half, jumping out to a 17-0 lead that silenced the home crowd. Smith was the workhorse, carrying the ball 25 times for 126 yards. His ability to grind out tough yards kept the powerful Alabama offense off the field. Quarterback Jason Campbell was efficient, throwing two touchdown passes to Robert Johnson.

Defense Stands Tall

On the other side of the ball, Auburn’s defense was spectacular. They held Alabama to just 50 yards rushing and forced turnovers that crippled the Tide’s comeback attempts. Alabama finally scored in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late. The win was sweet for Auburn, who extended their winning streak in Tuscaloosa to four games (winning every Iron Bowl played there since the site moved from Birmingham).