Monday Down South: The SEC's most iconic moments of the decade
Counting down the SEC’s most unforgettable games, players and moments of the past 10 years.
10. Bama puts the BCS out of its misery (January 2012)
Unless you’re an Alabama fan, the culmination of the 2011 season is memorable for all the wrong reasons, beginning with the fact that it arguably never should have happened in the first place.
Bama and LSU had already settled it on the field once that season, in a hard-fought, 9-6 slugfest that defined the “SEC Defense” era and lived up to the hype surrounding the nation’s best defenses. By contrast, the rematch was widely dreaded by much of the country from the moment it was announced and proceeded to live down to the hype – an unwatchable, 21-0 slog in which one offense (LSU’s) failed to cross midfield and the other (Alabama’s) was content to run up the score one field goal at a time. The Crimson Tide became the first team in decades to claim a national crown without winning its conference, or even its division, by slowly squeezing the life out of the team that won both.
In retrospect, Jan. 9, 2012 was the night the BCS finally rolled over and died: Within a few months the College Football Playoff was a reality, with the implicit mandate to prevent anything like Bama-LSU II from ever happening again on the sport’s biggest stage. As bad as it was – or rather, specifically because it was so bad – one of the least compelling championship games on record turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to the postseason.
9. LSU and Texas A&M can’t stop, won’t stop (2018)
Beyond being the highest-scoring game in FBS history, A&M’s marathon, 74-72 win in 7 overtimes was above all an exercise in sheer endurance, emotionally as much as physically. Between the end of regulation and the seemingly infinite OT sessions, the outcome in College Station was left hanging by a thread for nearly 2 full hours, as the teams played on through a premature victory celebration, multiple controversial calls, and more than a dozen do-or-die plays that could have ended the game but somehow never did.
Just watching from the couch as the clock ticked past midnight was an intense, surreal experience that no one who stayed up for it will ever forget, even if they eventually lose track of minor details like which team won. The players and coaches who endured it left a piece of their souls on the field.
8. Auburn’s Hail Mary miracle (2013)
In certain respects, Auburn’s 2013 season was already a miracle before the Tigers’ mid-November game against Georgia even kicked off: The same team that had limped to a demoralizing, last-place finish in 2012 was off to a 9-1 start under first-year head coach Gus Malzahn and playing with house money down the stretch. But the closer the clock ticked to midnight, the jackpots only kept getting bigger.
Looking back, of course, Nick Marshall’s serendipitous heave to Ricardo Lewis is a mere footnote to what came next, the setup to one of the all-time great punchlines in the Iron Bowl and eventual run to within seconds of the unlikeliest national championship in memory. In the moment, though, none of that was quite visible just yet. All we knew was that with a team this charmed, anything was possible.
7. Johnny Football slays the Bama goliath (2012)
For most of the 2012 season, Johnny Manziel was an obscure redshirt freshman racking up big stats against bad teams. Against Alabama, he became an instant star in the decade’s most indelible upset.
By itself, his final stat line in the Aggies’ 29-24 win (253 yards passing, 92 rushing, 2 TDs) isn’t as eye-opening now as it was at the time, when Bama’s defense was the dominant force in the game. But his freewheeling triumph in Tuscaloosa remains a touchstone – the key reference point for the “Johnny Manziel type,” a cliché in the discourse around any undersized, slightly mobile-ish young quarterback, as well as a harbinger of the spread revolution that has fully taken over the league in the years since. Manziel didn’t pan out in the pros, but his lasting impact on the SEC is unmistakable.
6. Notre Dame gets rolled (January 2013)
Manziel’s brilliance notwithstanding, the 2012 Crimson Tide were arguably the best team of the Saban era. And when the time comes to testify to future generations of Bama’s dominance their start-to-finish championship beatdown of the Fighting Irish will serve as Exhibit A.
The effect was more dramatic than the 42-14 final suggests. It was never in doubt, over almost before it began: Alabama needed just 5 plays to score on the game’s opening possession, and just 15 minutes to put up more points than the vaunted Irish defense had allowed in any other game that season. By the time Notre Dame finally cracked the scoreboard in the 3rd quarter, the Tide were already playing for posterity as the sport’s reigning dynasty.
5. Cam Newton fulfills his athletic potential (2010)
Midway through the 2010 season, Auburn was off to a surprising 7-0 start behind a big, raw quarterback best known as Tim Tebow’s former understudy. By the end of win No. 8, a 24-17 decision over undefeated LSU, any lingering doubts about how far they or their freakishly gifted star could go were put to bed once and for all.
The initial, in-the-moment absurdity of watching a player who was built like a defensive end but moved like a blue-chip kick returner is hard to recapture. But as the defining highlight of one of the sport’s great individual seasons – Newton remains the only quarterback ever to win a Heisman or a national championship in his lone season on campus, or to play his way into the No. 1 overall draft pick – it will live on for a good long while.
4. Clowney unleashes the beast (2013)
For sheer athletic spectacle, Jadeveon Clowney was in a class all by himself: The No. 1 overall recruit coming in, the No. 1 overall draft pick going out, and a unanimous All-American in between. But as a testament to the sheer, violent explosiveness of his presence, one play endures.
Like the other standalone plays on this list, Clowney’s de-helmeting of poor Vincent Smith comes with some context: The hit came immediately following an apparent 4th-down stop by South Carolina on which Michigan was granted a phantom 1st down anyway, and it sparked a subsequent Carolina comeback for its 11th win of the 2012 season. With that, the Gamecocks secured the 2nd in a streak of 3 consecutive top 10 finishes in Clowney’s 3 years on campus, a distinction they’d never managed before and haven’t again since.
But all of that already amounts to trivia for the diehards and the nerdiest of football nerds (me). For everyone else, there’s only The Hit, permanent evidence of the freak at his absolute freakiest.
3. Burrow, LSU break through (2019)
It’s impossible to say right now exactly how LSU’s 2019 campaign is going to go in the books without knowing how it’s going to end. But for the sake of this post, it is safe to say that Joe Burrow’s ascent from run-of-the-mill starter to runaway Heisman winner has already left an indelible mark.
One more time for emphasis: LSU’s quarterback, who broke SEC records for yards and TDs, won the Heisman Trophy, and it wasn’t close. Up until roughly 2 months ago the notion would have been laughable. At their best, Les Miles’ Tigers were always based on the premise of a blue-chip defense and an offense whose main priority was not screwing up, a formula that eventually got him fired in 2016. Of all the possible successors at the end of that season, Ed Orgeron – owner of one of the worst records in SEC history in his 2005-07 stint at Ole Miss – was presumably the least likely to deviate from the same stale old script.
We presumed wrong. In Year 3, the Tigers laid waste to the school record book, vanquished an 8-game losing streak vs. Alabama via shootout, and punched their ticket to a Playoff they’re tentatively favored to win. Wherever they go from here, Burrow’s record-breaking Heisman win Saturday night is proof they’ve already come further, faster than anyone could have expected.
2. 2nd-and-26 (2018)
Legacy-wise, the dismal end of Tua Tagovailoa’s Alabama career earlier this year only put more weight on the moment the legend began.
Even if he’d never attempted another pass at Bama, Tua’s national championship-winning heave to DeVonta Smith would stand as one of the iconic plays in college football history: A true freshman, in the first significant action of his career, in overtime of a game his team trailed by 10 points at the start of the 4th quarter, firing a walk-off touchdown strike to clinch the national title. (With another true freshman on the receiving end, no less.) But if anyone had suggested at the time that it would still be standing as the singular highlight of Tagovailoa’s career 2 years later, it would have been even more shocking than the play itself.
1. The Kick-6 (2013)
Where were you when you saw it?
As the years pass, it’s possible that most of the people who watched the most dramatic play in college football history unfold will eventually forget the year it happened, the name of the player who launched the kick (Adam Griffith), the name of the player who supplied the 6 (Chris Davis), or the exact final score (Auburn 34, Alabama 28).
They might forget the fact that Nick Saban successfully lobbied to have an extra second restored to the clock for a last-ditch field goal attempt rather than settle for overtime, or the many opportunities to put the game away in the 4th quarter that the Crimson Tide had already blown. They might forget the inevitability of Bama’s 15-game winning streak coming in, or the improbability of Auburn’s ascent from worst-to-first in Gus Malzahn’s first season. They might even forget the astronomical stakes at the time, in a game that would decide the SEC West and potentially the chance to play for a national title.
What none of them will ever forget is the feeling of watching the play unfold, of the dawning realization they – we – were witnessing something we’d never seen before and could hardly have imagined. That feeling in that moment, of shock, disbelief, confusion, exhilaration, and (for Bama fans) pain, is a permanent reminder of the reason we bother to watch sports. And the reason we keep coming back.
Honorable mention: LSU beats Tennessee after time expires (2010) … Auburn pulls off The Camback (2010) … Honey Badger steals the show in Atlanta (2011) … Marcus Lattimore goes down (2012) … Mississippi’s moment in the sun (2014) … Fournette hits the truck stick (2014) … Arkansas’ overtime miracle at Ole Miss (2015) … Hurts bails out Bama in the SEC Championship (2018) … Tua goes down (2019) … Ole Miss pisses away the Egg Bowl (2019).
Gamecocks beating Alabama in 2010 deserves a spot on here
As does Georgia’s 2OT win in the Rose Bowl and/or win at Notre Dame.
I think most of these are SEC-SEC games and moments. Otherwise you could include Some of the national championships in there.
That 2010 Auburn win vs LSU was great, but not as memorable as the Camback game.
I agree, but I think they were looking more at his individual run against LSU than the entire game as that “moment”.
I dunno if it’s fair to just slap an entire season by LSU as a “moment” and then rank it #3. I would’ve focused on Joe Burrow and his one year deluge of greatness.
As of rn, that moment is probably beating Alabama in a shootout, but it obviously becomes their playoff performance if they win the natty, so I think leaving it as LSU’s breakthrough is appropriate. And yes, the history and drama behind LSU’s title means they deserve that #3 spot
don’t forget you owe me $10
Obviously I’m not an Ole Miss fan, but the Chad Kelly funky luck to beat Bama should be on the list somewhere.
Additionally for me, when Mississippi State topped the first ever BCS poll by beating Auburn it way cool.
Didn’t even think of that one, but yeah that should at least have gotten honorable mention.
I’d like to see Georgia’s comeback in the Rose Bowl on the list — just because I’d like to see something positive about our offense.
Tough decade full of promise and opportunities missed… here’s to more fulfillment in the next… Go Dawgs!
Johnny Football’s Heisman moment is way too low. I’d put it at #2. I really don’t know why the Bama-Notre Dame game is even on here. There was really nothing that unexpected about that result.
“8. Auburn’s Hail Mary miracle (2013)”
I enjoy pointing out that Tray Matthews never won the Georgia-Auburn game.
Nice catch, Trey.
12 of 15.
I stand corrected, Matthews was on the 2017 Auburn team that beat Georgia. My mistake.
Still though… thanks for trying to intercept a pass that, if it falls incomplete, your team wins. Great job. Glad you transferred.
That one was really Josh Harvey-Clemons’ fault. Matthews was the one that had a clear shot at it, but Harvey-Clemons leaped in front of him to try to steal the interception and it bounced off his left hand and the rest is history.
Yep that was all on Harvey-Clemons. The thing is that if either of them weren’t there, the other probably gets the interception or breakup. But that wall was in Tray’s bread-basket and then it got popped straight up.
As a Georgia fan this isn’t a fun list. I agree with the above comment that the Rose Bowl comeback should’ve been on the list.
It is regularly called the greatest Rose Bowl ever, so there’s more than just UGA fans’ fond memories in its favor.
I doubt anything ever tops the Texas-USC game for “greatest Rose Bowl.”
As of your writing, Tua hasn’t ended his Alabama career. He may or may not, but he still has one year of eligibility left.
“Kirby hoists Natty Trophy, ends 4 decades of futility. UGA looking for keys to trophy case.” Must have just missed the cutoff.
Apparently UGA is living rent free in your head.
Good one! Let us know what team you root for buddy. I’m interested to know.
What Bama did was to make the 2011 SEC title meaningless, and cheapen the SEC Championship for subsequent years. They were enabled by a herd media more interested in forever homogenizing regional pride out of the SEC, and turning everything into NFL Jr.
Nothing to be proud of there, Bama. You didn’t deserve to be in the game in ‘11 or ‘17.
Thank you LSU for stopping those whiners this year.
The butthurt is strong with this one.
You’re SO right! Well, except for the fact that they, y’know, won both of them . . .
Irrelevant, IF the SEC Championship has any value. It is the contrast between “best” and “earned”… as well as the contrast between “reason” and “herd.”
Everyone has a right to their opinion, but you seem obsessed with the SEC championship. It’s important but it’s not the holy grail. Sports are played in large part to determine a champion. Being crowned a league champ and calling it the pinnacle is like leading at 80 meters. Nice, but the race isn’t quite over.
If I took that line of reasoning as a baseball fan, though, I’d probably be a lot happier with the Braves’ 18 division titles vs 1 WS ring.
I’m with you, Mountain Dog. This may be silly, but I think it makes a difference that LSU beat Alabama in the regular season. I think the SEC Championship is extremely important, but when a division is decided by a head-to-head tiebreaker, the team that loses out on that should still have a shot to play for the national title (i.e. 2017 Alabama, as painful as it is to say.) I like the idea of the SEC Championship being a play-in game, but 2011 and 2017 are examples of the best team in the country not having a chance to play for the title because they lost out on a tiebreaker. LSU and Georgia unquestionably deserved their SEC titles in those years, but conference champion doesn’t alway mean “best team in the conference”.
Where is the gators moment this decade. Oh yeah
My Gators stunk this past decade. So? That was not the point of my post.
No your point was to troll bama. Nevermind they won it all both years. And if your point was about only putting conference champions in then imagine if Virginia managed to beat Clemson this year. Do you really believe Virginia is one of the four best teams this year
The goal of the BCS was to put the 2 best teams in the championship and the goal of the Playoff is to put the 4 best teams in the Playoff. Not the best to win their conference or division. Just simply “the best”. It’s not like Alabama put themselves in those games. People that were in no way connected to Alabama and computers did. What they did do was take advantage of the opportunities and proved those people and computers correct when they chose Bama to participate.
Your whining about the SEC Championship being somehow devalued by the 2011 national title game, and moreover directing your drivel directly at Bama like they’re responsible for all of this, just shows that you’re a jealous, overly emotional hater.
I don’t think the goal is to put in the best 4 teams, I think the goal is to find the most deserving national champion (or at least I think that’s what it should be.) That is usually accomplished by including the best 4 teams, but I’ll use last year as an example (even if it means going against my Dawgs.)
Even after losing in the SEC Championship, many national media members believed that Georgia deserved the fourth spot in the playoff ahead of Oklahoma and Ohio State, both of whom had played inferior schedules. I honestly believe that Georgia had shown more to that point (before they no-showed the Sugar Bowl, embarrassingly) to prove they were one of the four best teams in the country. But the point isn’t to find the four best teams, it is to find the one best team. Georgia had a great year, but if we were truly the best team in the country we would have gotten it done in a win or go home game against Alabama. Oklahoma therefore was the correct selection because they deserved an opportunity to prove, as Georgia had in the SEC championship) that they could beat Alabama.
I’m not really weighing in on 2011, just arguing against the “best four teams” logic.
Ole Miss pisses away the Egg Bowl now THAT is some kinda funny!
Its OK OM fans things are going to get better now with the Lane Train.. count on it!
That 2016 Georgia-Tennessee “double surrender cobra” game was pretty epic.
Really! What about the Dobbs Nail Boot?
There have been some great moments and games this past decade. Can only hope the next decade will be as good.
2018 Rose Bowl is the greatest football game I’ve ever watched (just ahead of the 2006 Rose Bowl.) It should be on the list somewhere.
#21 Carolina Defeating undefeated #5 Missouri in 2013. Carolina, down 17-0 late in the third, brings in Connor Shaw (who has the flu and a knee sprain) who then orchestrates what we Carolina fans know as the “ShawShank Redemption” where he ties the game 24-24. Missouri misses a FG in double overtime to lose the game ending their undefeated season, 27-24 final.
Tenn “Dobbs-Nail boot” game in Athens 2016 was a gut punch….as was the 2013 “Prayer at Jordan-Hare”…Nick Marshall (former UGA DB kicked off the team for stealing from his team mates ending up at Auburn as QB…) plus remember that 2013 game was the back-to-back game when UGA had to travel to Auburn two years in a row. A game that Auburn never repaid by going to Athens two years in a row….sigh….