In 1971, Bear Bryant and his Alabama Crimson Tide football team switched over to the Wishbone offense and they improved from 6-5-1 to 11-1, with their only loss coming to an incredibly awesome national champion Nebraska team in the Orange Bowl.
The momentum from the 1971 season carried over into 1972 and the Alabama season was going really well. Alabama had begun the season ranked 7th and then had beaten 10th ranked Tennessee and 6th ranked LSU along the way to an impressive 10-0 record and a number 2 national ranking.
The Auburn Tigers came into their annual Iron Bowl game in Birmingham against their biggest rivals, Alabama, with an 8-1 record. Their only loss came against then 8th ranked LSU and the other Tigers rolled Auburn, 7-35.
But, in spite of that big loss, Auburn was ranked 9th in the Associated Press poll.
The Alabama defense was holding the Auburn offense in check the entire game. It was 16-0 in favor of the Crimson Tide in the 4th quarter.
Auburn did get a drive going, but it stalled in Alabama territory. Auburn fans became the boo birds when Auburn legendary coach Shug Jordan decided to kick a field goal with 10 minutes left in the
game. They saw it as giving up at the time, and it kind of looked that way from a fan’s perspective.
The field goal was good and it later would be the difference in a serious game that suddenly became a little bit comical. Well, it was funny unless you were Bear Bryant or an Alabama fan.
The following Alabama drive stalled, and Tide punter Greg Gantt came in to try and pin Auburn back and let their defense go to work again.
Auburn brought everybody to the line of scrimmage to try and block the punt.
BLOCK-IT, THEY DID!!!
Junior linebacker Bill Newton is an interesting story himself. His twin brother, Bob, was a hot prospect out of high school in Fayette, Alabama. They both wanted to go to Auburn, but Bill wasn’t offered a scholarship. Bob signed with Auburn, and Bill walked on. They were both starters by 1972.
It was Bill Newton that broke through the Alabama line and blocked the punt.
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Alabama got the ball back and attempted to run the clock out. The Auburn defense stopped them, but no problem because the Alabama defense played well the entire game. Just pin them back deep and let the defense continue to do its thing. They’d given up only 3 points the entire game.
Bama punter Greg Gantt was back to punt again.
Bill Newton got through the line again and blocked the punt. Oddly, and almost comically, defensive back David Langner was in almost the exact same spot and on a dead run took it into the and zone for another score to tie the game. The extra point gave the Tigers a one-point lead, 17-16.
Time was running out in the 4th quarter and suddenly Alabama found themselves behind for the first time in the game. With time running out, the Wishbone is not the best offense to be in. It’s great to run the ball and run the clock when you are winning the game, but the Bone was not a come from behind offense.
Alabama quarterback Terry Davis faked the option and dropped back to pass. He overthrew his receiver and the ball went right into the hands of one of the two big stars for Auburn that day.
Defensive back David Langner made yet another great play and intercepted the pass which basically ended the game.
Legend has it that Auburn’s own legendary head coach Shug Jordan was furious with Langner as he came to the sideline. Supposedly, Langner told coach Jordan “coach, I intercepted the pass” or something along that line. Allegedly, Shug Jordan said “Great, but the plan was to make them punt again”. If you actually believe that conversation took place, I have a few bridges I’d like you to take a look at. I’m letting them go cheap.
Bear Bryant was probably the greatest college coach of all time and I can only imagine what happened to his special teams’ coach after this game. Major special team mistakes cost the Crimson Tide the game and a perfect record. Even worse, it happened against their biggest rivals, the hated in-state Auburn Tigers.
Even though Punt, Bama, Punt is kind of funny now and to outsiders, the Alabama coaching staff did not find it funny at all. Neither did the players and the fans.
Auburn went on to beat Colorado in the Gator Bowl and finish 5th in the final polls with a 10-1 record.
Alabama lost to Texas in the Cotton Bowl and finished with a 10-2 record and a 7th ranking in the final polls.
When Alabama did line up in punt formation in the January, 1st 1973 Cotton Bowl, not a Bama fan in the country could breathe normally. But, Punt, Bama, Punt would only happen one time.