College football 2023: Alabama def Auburn in Iron Bowl, ending, video, highlights, Hugh Freeze mocked for playcall on 4th and 31 touchdown

'Incredible!': College football STUNNER | 00:40

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Auburn coach Hugh Freeze has been widely mocked after a clear coaching blunder in one of the most stunning college football plays of all-time.

The Tigers were major underdogs going into the yearly Iron Bowl match-up with in-state rivals Alabama but held a shock lead going into the final minute of the contest.

Freeze, who was controversially hired despite a long list of off-field indiscretions essentially because he beat Alabama and their legendary coach Nick Saban a couple of times in his previous job, and the Tigers had forced the Crimson Tide into a horrific position.

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Alabama QB Jalen Milroe had to find a way to score a touchdown on 4th and goal from the 31-yard line, or else the game - and his team’s chance at the College Football Playoff - was over.

On the decisive play, Milroe dropped back and had plenty of time to find receiver Isaiah Bond in a one-on-one in the corner of the endzone - even though the Tigers should’ve had a huge numbers advantage - and Bond made the catch for the score.

Auburn had a 99.9% chance of winning the game before allowing that touchdown according to ESPN.

But Freeze, who has led the Tigers to an indifferent campaign in his first season at the school, quickly drew the ire of the college football world for the play-call.

For a start, Bond being left in a one-on-one when it was effectively a Hail Mary situation made little sense.

But then it became clear Auburn had called for a QB Spy - a linebacker who hovers near the quarterback, not actually rushing at him to try and sack him, but just watching and waiting in case he tries to scramble past the line of scrimmage and run it in.

This made absolutely no sense because if Milroe was going to try and run for the touchdown, he was incredibly unlikely to succeed given the entire defence would have had 30 yards to run him down and stop him.

In effect it left Auburn with just 10 defenders, because the 11th was doing nothing of value.

“Why did Auburn have a QB spy with 30 yards before the goal??” college football writer and podcaster Alex Kirshner said on Twitter.

“Were they trying to prevent a 20-yard scramble that would’ve resulted in a turnover on downs??

“Seriously, what on earth was the idea with the spy? What is this guy achieving on this play? Might as well have played it 10-on-11.

“If Milroe takes off running, cool. You have eight other guys who can go tackle him before he goes 31 yards. Just a ridiculous choice.”

Freeze failed to explain the play-call post-game and also revealed he didn’t even realise one player had been swapped out for another on a key punt return, then claiming the player had “taken himself out”.