2004 Iron Bowl

2004-11-20

Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, AL

ALABAMA

13

VS

AUBURN

Ranked #2

21

WINNER

Game Summary

The 2004 Iron Bowl was the coronation of one of the greatest teams in Auburn history. Hosting Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium, the unbeaten Tigers faced a determined rival looking to play spoiler. In a gritty second half, Auburn pulled away for a 21-13 victory, securing a perfect 12-0 regular season and the SEC West championship. For a half, Alabama looked poised to ruin the dream, leading 6-0 at halftime behind a stifling defense. However, in the second half, Auburn's offense woke up. Quarterback Jason Campbell connected on key throws, while running backs Carnell "Cadillac" Williams and Ronnie Brown began to wear down the Tide front. Auburn scored 21 unanswered points to take control. The victory completed Auburn's perfect regular season, leaving them as the controversial unbeaten team left out of the BCS National Championship game.

Series Snapshot

#69

Meeting of 90

38-30-1

Series after game

1-4-0

Record in the 2000s through this game

#55

Widest-margin rank

Before this meeting, the archive record stood at Alabama 38, Auburn 29, with 1 tie. The 2004 result moved it to Alabama 38, Auburn 30, with 1 tie.

This was the 5th listed Iron Bowl of the 2000s. Through this game, Alabama had 1 win, Auburn had 4, and the decade included 0 ties.

The teams combined for 34 points, ranking #55 in total scoring among the 90 meetings in the current archive, with 4 games sharing that total. The 8-point margin ranks #55 by size, shared by 3 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 2003 and the next was 2005.

Decisive Moment

Auburn's 21 unanswered points in the second half turned a 6-0 deficit into a comfortable lead.

Key Players

Jason Campbell (Auburn) ↗

Carnell Williams (Auburn)

Ronnie Brown (Auburn) ↗

Spencer Pennington (Alabama)

📜

Historical Deep Dive

The 2004 Iron Bowl was the coronation of one of the greatest teams in Auburn history. Hosting Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium, the unbeaten Tigers faced a determined rival looking to play spoiler. In a gritty second half, Auburn pulled away for a 21-13 victory, securing a perfect 12-0 regular season and the SEC West championship.

Defensive Struggle

For a half, Alabama looked poised to ruin the dream. Leading 6-0 at halftime, the Alabama defense stifled Auburn’s powerful backfield. However, champions adjust. In the second half, Auburn’s offense woke up. Quarterback Jason Campbell connected on key throws, while running backs Carnell “Cadillac” Williams and Ronnie Brown began to wear down the Tide front.

The Second Half Surge

Auburn scored 21 unanswered points to take control. Campbell threw a touchdown pass, and both Williams and Brown found the end zone. Alabama fought back with a late touchdown pass from Spencer Pennington, but it wasn’t enough. The victory completed Auburn’s perfect regular season (they would go on to win the Sugar Bowl and finish 13-0), leaving them as the controversial unbeaten team left out of the BCS National Championship game.