Battle of Backbone Mountain

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1972 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 7 Alabama $ 7 – 1 – 0 10 – 2 – 0
No. 5 Auburn 6 – 1 – 0 10 – 1 – 0
No. 11 LSU 4 – 1 – 1 9 – 2 – 1
No. 8 Tennessee 4 – 2 – 0 10 – 2 – 0
Georgia 4 – 3 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Florida 3 – 3 – 1 5 – 5 – 1
Ole Miss 2 – 5 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Kentucky 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
Mississippi State 1 – 6 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Vanderbilt 0 – 6 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1972 Auburn Tigers football team under the leadership of coach Ralph "Shug" Jordan completed the regular season with a record of 9–1, earning them an invitation to the Gator Bowl against Colorado, which they won by a score of 24–3. They completed the season with a record of 10–1 and ranked #5 in the AP poll and #7 in the UPI.[1]

Five players were named all-SEC first team for 1972: defensive back Dave Beck, tail back Terry Henley, offensive tackle Mac Lorendo, defensive end Danny Sanspree, and defensive tackle Benny Sivley.[2]

The famous Punt Bama Punt game took place during the 1972 season, where Auburn, trailing Alabama 16–0 with 10 minutes left in the game, came back to win 17–16 after scoring a field goal followed by two blocked punts that were returned for touchdowns.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 9at Mississippi State
W 14–340,000[3]
September 23Chattanooga*
W 14–742,000–43,000[4][5]
September 30No. 4 Tennessee
W 10–669,483[6]
October 7at No. 18 Ole MissNo. 17
  • Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
  • Jackson, MS (rivalry)
W 19–1346,421[7]
October 14at No. 8 LSUNo. 9
L 7–3570,132[8]
October 21Georgia Tech*No. 14
  • Cliff Hare Stadium
  • Auburn, AL (rivalry)
W 24–1460,261[9]
October 28No. 17 Florida State*daggerNo. 12
  • Cliff Hare Stadium
  • Auburn, AL
W 27–1458,142[10]
November 4at FloridaNo. 11
W 26–2057,551[11]
November 18GeorgiaNo. 11
  • Cliff Hare Stadium
  • Auburn, AL (rivalry)
W 27–1061,348[12]
December 2vs. No. 2 AlabamaNo. 9
W 17–1672,386[13][14]
December 30vs. No. 13 Colorado*No. 6
ABCW 24–371,114[15]
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[2]

Rankings

Main article: 1972 NCAA University Division football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre12345678910111213Final
AP————17914 т1211111110965
Coaches—20——14915121010101097Not released

References

  1. ^ 2011 Auburn Tigers Football Media Guide, Auburn University Athletic Department, Auburn, Alabama, p. 184 (2011). Retrieved August 19, 2011
  2. ^ a b 2005 Auburn Tigers Football Media Guide, Auburn University Athletic Department, Auburn, Alabama, p. 142 (2005). Retrieved August 19, 2011
  3. ^ "QB Walls directs Auburn over M-State in opener". The Dothan Eagle. September 10, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Auburn offense sputters in win over Mocs, 14–7". The Atlanta Constitution. September 24, 1972. Retrieved September 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Final 1972 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  6. ^ "Auburn does it to Tennessee again, but this time it's an upset". The Courier-Journal. October 1, 1972. Retrieved May 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Walls guides tough Tigers past Mississippi, 19–13". The Charlotte Observer. October 8, 1972. Retrieved October 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "LSU's Jones passes Auburn dizzy, 35–7". Tulsa Daily World. October 15, 1972. Retrieved October 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Auburn passes Tech, 24–14". The News and Observer. October 22, 1972. Retrieved October 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Auburn's defense handles Huff, Florida State, 27–14". Pensacola News Journal. October 29, 1972. Retrieved October 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Auburn escapes upset threat by Moore-led Gators, 26–20". The Miami Herald. November 5, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Auburn's Tigers roll over Georgia, 27–10". The Daily Advertiser. November 19, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Reed, Delbert (December 3, 1972). "Tiger miracle men stop Alabama run". The Tuscaloosa News. p. B1. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  14. ^ "War Eagles upset No. 2 Bama, 17–16". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Associated Press. December 3, 1972. p. B3. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  15. ^ "Auburn's Tigers rip Colorado's Buffs 24–3". The Selma Times-Journal. December 31, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972_Auburn_Tigers_football_team