'There's No Stopping Me': Alabama WR Isaiah Horton is Iron Bowl Superhero

AUBURN, Ala. — The history of the Iron Bowl is filled with heroic moments on both sides of the rivalry.

Chris Davis' Kick Six in 2013, Jalen Milroe's connection with Isaiah Bond on fourth-and-31 and Bryce Young's 97-yard drive are just three examples that no fan will ever forget.

No. 10 Alabama took down Auburn 27-20 on Saturday night in Jordan-Hare Stadium. It was the regular-season finale, and the win clinched the Crimson Tide a spot in the SEC Championship game against Georgia.

Alabama's hero on offense couldn't have been more obvious. The Tide tallied three touchdowns and all of them were scored by wide receiver Isaiah Horton. Two of his scores came from six yards out, with the latter coming on fourth down to break the tie with 3:50 remaining in regulation.

“I figured it was 29 yards shorter than the last time we needed a touchdown here (smiles),” DeBoer said, referring to the fourth-and-31 in 2023. “Probably the percentages were much more in our favor. I feel like there’s a confidence you have in the offense to get the two yards. We didn’t need to have a touchdown on that play, but we needed the two yards.

"But I think there’s also a piece where backed up like that, you have confidence in your defense. In that situation, you’ve got a chance to score. You’ve got a chance to get a stop. And then you also have a chance to maybe get the ball back again.

"And obviously all those things, there's some things that don't work for you to be in that spot, and some things that do work for you to be in that spot to where you get two chances at it. So again, just a lot of trust in our guys on both sides of the ball that we can get it done."

Horton came into this game behind fellow Alabama wide receivers Germie Bernard and Ryan Williams in receptions and yards by a good margin. This duo was limited against Auburn as Bernard had three catches for 24 yards on nine targets, while Williams didn't even make it on the stat sheet. In other words, Horton stepped up.

"I told Isaiah a long time ago, when we got into the SEC games, you know, that this is where the offense — the ball will find him in big moments," DeBoer said. "And, you know, we have so many guys that we rotate in, four or five guys that are really a part of the rotation most weeks and sometimes it doesn't end up going his way. But tonight, he found opportunities, and he took advantage of them."

Horton finished the game with five receptions for 35 yards and the aforementioned three touchdowns. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson missed Horton on only one target, but besides that, the two couldn't have been more in sync in a raucous environment.

"Me and Ty have been there [for each other] since we were kids, man," Horton said. "Today you saw it. He played his balls off and I'm proud of him. ... We're very resilient. We've been in situations like this before and it's just another game for us.

Horton broke down the game-winning touchdown, stating that he didn't know the ball was coming him before the play, but understood that he "had to make a play" when he was targeting.

"Big-time players make big-time plays. I had to do that for my team. I saw it was man coverage and I said 'There's no stopping me.' ... [DeBoer] trusts us. That goes all the way back to fall camp and the summer. He trusts us and we trust him. It gives me more confidence just knowing my coaching staff has the confidence and my teammates [too]. I just want to do what's best for my teammates and for everybody else."

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