AUBURN, Ala. – On Saturday, Auburn will kick off its 129th season of college football. It will be the first season, however, under the direction of new head coach Bryan Harsin.
Next Game:
Akron
Sept. 4, 2021
6 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network Plus
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
When Harsin was hired last December, he got right to work. He put together his staff, formed relationships with the current players while also recruiting the next wave of players to Auburn. Then came spring practice followed by offseason workouts followed by fall camp, and now eight months after he was introduced as head coach, he's about to coach his first game.
"The excitement really is the week of prep leading into the game," Harsin said Monday. "And then once we get to Saturday, it's just letting these guys kind of loose and go play.
"That's the fun part. That's the opportunity for all the work that our players have put in, that our coaches have put in – to go out there for four hours and just cut it loose and know it's not going to be perfect. We don't expect that. What we do want to be able to do is respond and adjust the way that we practiced."
Harsin has accumulated 76 total wins in eight seasons as a head coach, but if win No. 77 comes Saturday night against Akron, it will be significant because it will be his first at Auburn.
Saturday's game will also be significant because for the first time since the Tigers knocked off Alabama in 2019, there will be no capacity restrictions at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The fans will be back, along with various traditions such as Tiger Walk and the Eagle Flight, and all together it creates an environment unmatched in college football.
"I'm very excited," defensive back Smoke Monday said. "I can't wait to turn the crowd up, get them rocking again because we're going to need them."
Auburn and Akron are scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. CT from Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game will be televised on SEC Network Plus with Mike Corey, Ben Hartsock and Taylor Davis on the call. You can also listen to Andy Burcham, Stan White and Ronnie Brown who will have the radio call on 93.9 Tiger FM and online at AuburnTigers.com.
Fans are asked to wear white to the season opener.
THREE QUESTIONS WITH … QB BO NIX
Q: What has this offseason been like working with the new coaching staff?
A: There's been a lot of change – a lot of different things, a lot of different schedules, different ways we go through meetings, different practices. A lot of change, but I think it's been good change. I think it's been healthy for our guys. Attention to detail is very high. But I enjoy working with Coach (Mike) Bobo and the staff. Looking forward to the season, I think we're going to have some good success.
Q: What's the one area where you've changed the most from this time last year?
A: I think just my knowledge of the game has increased. I'm back to preparing and studying well with defenses and knowing the ins and outs of our offense and the passing game, knowing where to go with the ball, knowing the different checks with the runs – just being a complete, intelligent quarterback.
Q: What does it mean to be the starting quarterback at Auburn?
A: It means everything. It's exciting waking up every day knowing that I have a mission to accomplish and something to go after. Obviously, I've tasted a little bit of success, tasted some defeat, and it's just exciting to work every day so I can be on top eventually.
INSIDE THE SERIES: AKRON
Auburn leads the all-time series with Akron, 1-0. The only previous gridiron meeting between the two schools came on Oct. 15, 1988, a 42-0 Auburn victory at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
This is Auburn's first game against a team from the state of Ohio since a 2019 home win over Kent State. The Tigers are 5-0-1 all-time against teams from the Buckeye State, having faced Akron, Cincinnati, Kent State and Ohio State. It will be Auburn's ninth meeting all-time with a current member of the Mid-American Conference. The Tigers won the previous eight matchups, all played in Auburn, by an average of 32.9 points per game.
Series: Auburn, 1-0
In Auburn: Auburn leads 1-0
First Meeting: 1988
Most AU points: 42 (1988)
Current Streak: Auburn, W1
BY THE NUMBERS
99: Auburn is 99-27-2 (.781) all-time in season openers. The Tigers have won 13 of their past 15 openers dating back to the 2006 season, including a 29-13 victory over No. 13 Kentucky last year inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn's total of 99 season-opening victories is behind only Alabama (101) and tied with Arkansas (99) for the most among current SEC schools.
18: Saturday marks the first game of the Bryan Harsin era on the Plains. Auburn coaches are 18-7-1 all-time in their first game with the Tigers. As a head coach, Harsin is 7-1 all-time in season openers (6-1 at Boise State, 1-0 at Arkansas State).
9: This year's Auburn team features nine Preseason All-SEC selections as voted on by the league's coaches. The list includes running back Tank Bigsby (first team); center Nick Brahms, kicker Anders Carlson, linebacker Zakoby McClain and safety Smoke Monday (second team); offensive lineman Brodarious Hamm, cornerback Roger McCreary, quarterback Bo Nix and linebacker Owen Pappoe (third team).
372: Former Auburn quarterback Patrick Nix, father of Bo Nix, still holds the program's record for most passing yards in a season opener with 372 yards through the air against Ole Miss in 1995. Nix completed 28 of his 39 passes for 372 yards and a touchdown to lead the sixth-ranked Tigers past Ole Miss, 46-13. Auburn finished the season 8-3.