The Milroe Miracle. Fourth-and-31. The Hail Milroe. History will soon determine a name for one of the greatest touchdowns in Iron Bowl lore.

Alabama was one tackle away from the door closing on their College Football Playoff hopes, instead, quarterback Jalen Milroe and wide receiver Isaiah Bond linked up with 32 seconds remaining for a late touchdown, giving the Tide bragging rights in the latest classic rivalry game, a 27-24 win over Auburn.

The play caused No. 8 Alabama’s (11-1, 8-0 SEC) sideline to nearly empty onto the field, coaches quickly tried to haul players back to the sideline for fear of a penalty. Fans clad in crimson and white erupted, while the minds of those in navy blue and orange worked to piece together what they had just seen. On the 10-year anniversary of the Kick 6, the 2023 edition served up a worthy successor.

From Nick Saban’s reaction to the players involved, here’s what the Tide had to say about the thrilling conclusion.

The Play

UA had been gifted the ball at the Auburn 30-yard line with 4:48 seconds remaining, Alabama down four. Punter Koy Moore muffed a punt from James Burnip and the ball fell into the hands of linebacker Jihaad Campbell. After converting a third-and-20 and then suffering a mistimed snap, Alabama needed “Grave digger,” a play Saban said it practices on Fridays.

Quarterback Jalen Milroe: “The biggest thing is the line gave protection, so I just tried to take time, as much as possible, and then read what they gave. And then at the end of the day, just execute.

Wideout Isaiah Bond: “It’s mine. That’s what I thought. The ball came in the air, I was like, ‘It’s 50-50.’ I just went there and got the ball.

“I knew I had a foot down, most def. Because I was probably at least two yards away from out of bounds. As a receiver, you practice feeling the sideline, so I definitely felt the sideline, I knew it was a touchdown.”

Offensive lineman JC Latham: “My guy gave me a bull rush right at me. Shortly after I think I got knocked off or something. I was able to kind of just turn and see where he was. He was all the way on the left side of the field. At that point, I’m pretty much useless in that situation. I can try to run down the play but I can’t do too much. I just kind of saw it all unfold.”

The Design

Saban: “(Milroe is) reading the guys down the field and they’re doing things to try to get open. He’s gonna have plenty of time. He’s gotta pick the guy that he thinks has the best chance to catch it. IB got position on his guy.

“We get in that formation, everybody runs down the field and runs varying routes in the end zone. And Jalen made a great throw, but IB really got himself into position where there was some room to throw it. He pushed inside and the DB was inside of him and he came back out, Jalen threw back out to him and it was a great catch. Great throw. But it is a play that we actually work on. And I must admit that I think you have to be a little lucky for it to work, but I’ll take it.”

Milroe: “All the receivers did a great job opening the passing game and getting open. It just came down to trust, never giving up.”

The Reaction

Defensive back Malachi Moore: “I really didn’t want to watch the play at all. I didn’t watch the play at all until I just looked at our fans and they started cheering. Once I seen our fans cheer, I knew we had did something good. I knew it had to be some type of hail mary or something like that.

“Right before, I had said a prayer to just let God cover us and allow us to come out victorious. Next thing I know, I look up, see Bond catching the ball and it was just a great feeling.”

Defensive back Terrion Arnold: “When he stepped up in the pocket, I knew. I knew he was going to fling it. IB made a great catch, a great play, but he makes plays like that in practice so I wasn’t surprised.”

Latham: “For guys like Isaiah Bond, that’s the dream right there. … You gotta make the catch, get that toe-tap in-bounds and win the game. He did that. Ever since you were a little kid playing, that’s something he always did at recess so happy for him.”

Bond: “Big time players make big-time plays, honestly. That’s what my mom instilled in me as a young child. … I got a little 007 celebration, where I sit back and do this. I want everybody to know that’s me right there. That’s the 007 pose so if they wanna use that, I did it first. “

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].