AUBURN, Ala. – Back in June when Jaylin Simpson and his teammates were running decks at Jordan-Hare Stadium, the first game felt so far away.
Next Game:
Mercer
Sept. 3, 2021
6 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network Plus
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
On Wednesday, Simpson was working on his academics and looking at what all he had the rest of the week, and it dawned on him. The first game was only three days away. In three days, the team would be back at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Not to run decks in the heat of the summer but to suit up, take the field and play a game for the first time since 2021.
"It's such a good feeling now," Simpson said. "I'm just so excited. I'm ready to go to the hotel, go through the meetings, hit Tiger Walk, pregame and do all that. I'm just so ready to play. It's been a long time coming."
"There are no more scrimmages, no more spring games," head coach Bryan Harsin added. "We have a deadline, and it's this Saturday. We get a chance to go out there and play, and I'd say everybody that sits in this room is excited about that. You get to a point in camp where you're just tired of hitting each other and doing the same things, and now we get a chance to go out there and play somebody else and to be at home in our stadium."
For Auburn, this marks the program's 130th season of college football and second under the direction of Harsin. The Tigers have 788 wins all-time, 13th-most among FBS schools, and will be looking to make it 789 against Mercer on Saturday.
The game is scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. CT from Jordan-Hare Stadium and will be televised on SEC Network Plus with Mike Corey, Aaron Murray and Nicole Rigoni 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.
It's another White Out to open the season, so fans are asked to wear white to the game.
Three questions with DL Jayson Jones
Q: What have your first eight months at Auburn been like? What has stood out?
A: From the stories I've heard, I feel like the team is a whole lot closer than what it was last year. I don't regret my decision. I'm glad I'm here to be a part of this team because we have a lot of potential to be what we want to be. But we have to do our assignment on the field and off the field and hold each other to a different standard than everyone else.
Q: What do you bring to this defense and to this team?
A: I like to think that I'm a big guy. I think I'm big. So, I try and take up as many blocks as I can to help my teammates. Stats are cool, but when you do your assignment, it makes you feel even better. I try and just do my assignment at the end of the day whether that's taking up more blocks or holding the point of attack.
Q: What did you learn from your two years in Oregon? How did you grow?
A: I really learned the physicality part of the game. I feel like I was lacking that at first because in high school you're just bigger than everyone, so you can just run through people. You can't do that in Division I football. So, the toughness part for sure. (Jimmy) Brumbaugh being out there with me last year taught me a lot about technique and fundamentals, and I think that's helped me even this year because he came to Auburn. That made it a whole lot easier for me.
Inside the Series: Mercer
Auburn leads the all-time series with Mercer, which was first played in 1896, by a 12-0 advantage. The Tigers are 7-0 in games played in Auburn, 4-0 in games played in Macon, and also posted a victory in a game played in Columbus, Georgia. Nine of Auburn's victories in the series have been shutout wins. The Tigers have outscored the Bears 530-22 all-time.
The two sides last met at Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2017, and the Tigers won 24-10. Prior to that, the last matchup was in 1922 – a 50-7 home victory for Auburn.
Auburn holds a 73-1-1 all-time record against teams currently in the Southern Conference: Chattanooga (21-0), The Citadel (1-0), East Tennessee State (1-0), Furman (4-0), Mercer (12-0), Samford (28-0-1), Western Carolina (3-0) and Wofford (3-1).
By the Numbers
100: With a 60-10 win over Akron last year in Bryan Harsin's debut, Auburn picked up its 100th victory all-time in season openers. The Tigers are 100-27-2 (.783) in the first game of the season and have won 14 of their past 16 openers dating back to the 2006 season.
16: Seniors Derick Hall (9) and Eku Leota (7) combined for 16 sacks last season. They join Alabama's Will Anderson and Dallas Turner as the only other returning SEC teammates who each recorded at least seven sacks in 2021.
130.2: The running back duo of Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter averaged 130.2 rushing yards per game last season (1,692 total yards) and totaled 13 touchdowns on the ground. Both players went over 100 yards and found the end zone in last season's openers against Akron as the Tigers racked up 316 rushing yards as a team.
5: Auburn and Arkansas are the only teams to have five AP preseason Top 25 teams on the 2022 schedule. The Tigers will face Georgia (3), Ole Miss (21), Arkansas (19), Texas A&M (6) and
Alabama (1).