Confusion and personnel mishap on Auburn’s costly muffed punt in Iron Bowl loss

In his post game press conference, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze “no one will hurt more” than cornerback Keionte Scott after the muffed punt with just under five minutes to play in the fourth quarter which set up the improbable Alabama game winning touchdown in Auburn’s 27-24 Iron Bowl loss.

Scott had also been controversially called for a muffed punt in last year’s Iron Bowl loss in Tuscaloosa. So another Iron Bowl mishap is surely brutal.

One problem, though. It wasn’t Scott back there to catch the punt Saturday night. It was wide receiver Koy Moore. They both wear No. 0.

And Freeze did not know it before reporters mentioned it. Even the official stats listed Scott incorrectly as the punt returner.

Freeze initially was asked whether it was Scott or Moore on the punt return because had been hard to tell from the press box and on the field. Freeze said it was Scott. But after some chatter in the press room among reporters and Freeze, it became clear that it was Moore catching the punt, not Scott.

“Was it Koy,” Freeze said. “I thought it was Keionte. I’ll have to ask (special teams coordinator) Tanner (Burns). It would have to be Keionte must have taken himself out.”

Freeze’s confusion was indicative of an Iron Bowl closing stretch where everything that could have gone wrong for Auburn did.

Auburn’s defense has forced a stop just under five minutes to play and Alabama was set to punt the ball back to Auburn. Freeze would have a chance to bleed the clock and close out an Iron Bowl win.

As Moore, not Scott, trotted back to field the punt, he appeared to have tripped trying to make the catch and did not secure the ball.

Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell recovered the loose ball and began to run toward the endzone. But Alabama by rule is not allowed to advance the ball after a muffed punt. So it got the ball 4:48 to play at the Auburn 30-yard line.

Auburn’s defense would go on to pin Alabama into a fourth-and-goal from the 31 yard line. There were 43 seconds to play. Quarterback Jalen Milroe then threw his miracle touchdown pass to Isaiah Bonds to win the game.

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com