2003 Iron Bowl

2003-11-22

Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL

ALABAMA

23

VS

AUBURN

28

WINNER

Game Summary

The 2003 Iron Bowl began with a thunderbolt. On the very first play from scrimmage, Auburn running back Carnell "Cadillac" Williams burst through the line and raced 80 yards for a touchdown. The play electrified Jordan-Hare Stadium and set the tone for a 28-23 Auburn victory. Williams was the star of the night, racking up 204 rushing yards. Auburn built a commanding 18-2 lead by halftime, capitalizing on Alabama turnovers. However, Alabama refused to quit. Backup quarterback Brandon Avalos and the defense sparked a second-half rally. A 96-yard kickoff return by Brandon Brooks brought the Tide back into the game. Alabama cut the lead to 28-23 late, but Jason Campbell made key plays to run out the clock.

Series Snapshot

#68

Meeting of 90

38-29-1

Series after game

1-3-0

Record in the 2000s through this game

#67

Widest-margin rank

Before this meeting, the archive record stood at Alabama 38, Auburn 28, with 1 tie. The 2003 result moved it to Alabama 38, Auburn 29, with 1 tie.

This was the 4th listed Iron Bowl of the 2000s. Through this game, Alabama had 1 win, Auburn had 3, and the decade included 0 ties.

The teams combined for 51 points, ranking #18 in total scoring among the 90 meetings in the current archive, with 2 games sharing that total. The 5-point margin ranks #67 by size, shared by 4 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 2002 and the next was 2004.

Decisive Moment

Cadillac Williams' 80-yard touchdown run on the game's opening play set the tone for Auburn's dominance.

Key Players

Carnell Williams (Auburn)

Jason Campbell (Auburn) ↗

Brandon Brooks (Alabama)

Shaud Williams (Alabama)

📜

Historical Deep Dive

The 2003 Iron Bowl began with a thunderbolt. On the very first play from scrimmage, Auburn running back Carnell “Cadillac” Williams burst through the line and raced 80 yards for a touchdown. The play electrified Jordan-Hare Stadium and set the tone for a 28-23 Auburn victory.

Williams Runs Wild

Williams was the star of the night, racking up 204 rushing yards. His explosion broke the spirit of the Alabama defense early. Auburn built a commanding 18-2 lead by halftime, capitalizing on Alabama turnovers and offensive ineptitude.

An Alabama Rally

However, Alabama refused to quit. Backup quarterback Brandon Avalos and the defense sparked a second-half rally. A 96-yard kickoff return by Brandon Brooks brought the Tide back into the game. Alabama cut the lead to 23-16 and later 28-23, but they ran out of time. Jason Campbell’s calm leadership (270 passing yards) helped Auburn churn out critical first downs to seal the win in a game that was closer than it should have been.