Behind the scenes of 'Grave Digger,' Alabama's Iron Bowl winning play
AUBURN, Ala. — The Iron Bowl has seen many miraculous plays. As far as Alabama is concerned, "Grave Digger" tops the charts.
Trailing by four with 43 seconds remaining, Alabama looked dead and buried as it lined up for a fourth-and-goal from the Auburn 31-yard line. However, it was quarterback Jalen Milroe who delivered the death blow to a stunned crowd inside Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The play Alabama dialed up, is called "Grave Digger." It certainly lived up to its name.
After taking the snap, Milroe dropped back with plenty of time to throw. Meanwhile, receiver Isaiah Bond ran a deep route to the left corner of the end zone. From there, Milroe hurled him the ball, firing it into a tight window to allow the receiver to catch it and get a foot down for the score.
Bond's catch gave Alabama the lead with 32 seconds remaining. From there, the Crimson Tide held on for a 27-24 victory, keeping its playoff hopes alive.
“Truth be told, before [Milroe] threw the ball, I said a prayer,” cornerback Terrion Arnold said after the game. “So I’m sitting over here like, ‘You know we went to church before the game, so God give us a blessing.”
While the game-winning touchdown might seem like something drawn up in a dream, it was pretty familiar to Alabama's offense.
“We actually practiced that play every Friday when we do walk-throughs and special situations,” head coach Nick Saban said. “It was a great catch, a great throw, but that is a play that we actually work on. I must admit that I think you have to be a little lucky for it to work, but I’ll take it.”
Of course, no practice situation comes close to simulating the pressure Alabama was under during the Iron Bowl. Saturday night might have been the first time the Tide faced real competition on such a play this season.
“Oftentimes, when we go to practice, you got to think like we don't want to get guys hurt,” Arnold said. “So we don’t ever really try to make a play on the ball, we let them catch it and that came to fruition.”
Bond’s acrobatic touchdown grab was one of five receptions in the game as he totaled 75 yards through the air. Meanwhile, Milroe added a Heisman moment to his resume while completing 16 of 24 passes for 259 yards and two touchdown tosses.
After an absolute thriller in Jordan-Hare Stadium, the No. 8 Crimson Tide will set its sights on the postseason, as Nick Saban’s squad faces off against the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs on December 2 in Atlanta at 3 p.m. CT.