"Their backs to the wall, their feet to the fire"

Auburn 42  ... Florida State 41    1984

 

How many times do you see a wishbone team winning in a shootout?  Bo Jackson had suffered a separated shoulder against Texas earlier in the season, and Auburn's backups responded by carrying the Tigers to six consecutive wins without him, including this incredible scoring fest in Doak Campbell Stadium.  In a game in which neither defense seemed to have gotten off the bus, the two teams traded heavyweight blows--including reverses, bombs, and fumbled kickoffs returned for touchdowns-- until finally Auburn, trailing late, had to start deep in its own territory for one last drive-- "their backs to the wall, their feet to the fire," as Auburn's late, much loved radio announcer, Jim Fyffe, described it.  True to the form of the game, Auburn went the distance in a sustained drive and scored-- "Touchdown Aubuurrrrrn!"--  to go up 42-41, only to see FSU roar right back the other way in the final seconds.  Time expired in this exhausting tennis match of a game with FSU on the Auburn 1 yard line.

 

Historical Significance:  Inexplicably, this game was not televised.  It is consequently considered the moment when Jim Fyffe became a legend, as thousands of fans across the South tuned in to hear his sparkling performance for the first time.  The next year, Auburn would ring FSU up for 52 more points, and not long after that, FSU went and hired Mickey Andrews as defensive coordinator, putting such catastrophic defensive performances to rest for a good long time, and pushing FSU into perennial national contender status.