The Opening Drive: No. 24 Auburn vs. South Alabama

AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn will tie the program record with 17 consecutive sellouts Saturday when 88,043 fill Jordan-Hare Stadium for Homecoming on the Plains vs. South Alabama.

“It is a really good home-field advantage, and we’re going to need that moving forward, starting this Saturday,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said. “We’re very thankful that we get to play in front of such good fans, our student section and everybody that makes it so difficult to play here.”

After relying on the run in Auburn’s season-opening win at Baylor, the Tigers passed profusely in last week’s 42-3 victory vs. Ball State in Kickoff on The Plains, with Jackson Arnold completing 24 of 28 attempts for 251 yards and three touchdowns. 

“We’ll need to be balanced against South Alabama as they do a lot of things, and we need to try and keep their offense on the sideline and limit their number of opportunities,” Freeze said. 

Former Auburn standout Tre’ Williams is the Jaguars’ special teams coordinator and linebackers coach, while South Alabama quarterbacks coach Zach Crisler served as an analyst at Auburn during Freeze’s first two seasons.

South Alabama offensive coordinator Paul Petrino calls plays for quarterback Bishop Davenport, who has completed 76.3 percent of his passes in the Jaguars’ first two games.

“Petrino is a very good offensive coordinator, and I’m impressed with what they do on that side of the ball,” Freeze said. “Defensively, they muddy up the picture really well with all their movements and different fronts that they give you. Got two of my former coaches down there on staff, so that always throws another little dynamic to it in preparing. But I have great respect for them and the job they’re doing there, and I know they’ll be excited to come and play in Jordan-Hare this Saturday.”

Ranked for the first time since 2021, No. 24 Auburn (2-0) hosts South Alabama 1-1) Saturday at 11:45 a.m. CT on SEC Network where Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb and Alyssa Lang comprise the broadcast team. On the Auburn Sports Network, former Auburn defensive lineman Bret Eddins makes his debut as sideline reporter with Andy Burcham and Jason Campbell providing play-by-play and analysis, respectively. 

THREE QUESTIONS WITH WR HORATIO FIELDS

Q: What went through your mind in last week’s 42-3 victory when you lined up on Ball-State’s 11-yard line and no one was covering you?

A: I’ve got to make sure I’m on the right page with my QB because I don’t want to go out there and do my own thing and he expects something else. That play shows that we are on one accord and that Jackson trusts me and I trust him. That’s how the ball was able to get there. 

Q: What was it like to score a touchdown in front of 88,043 fans?  

A: It was lovely. My first time getting a touchdown in front of that many people. The crowd loved and I loved it. I loved the atmosphere and the energy. Some would say it was lit.

Q: What has the transition to Auburn been like after four seasons at Wake Forest? 

A: It’s been very fun. They’ve welcomed me. I’ve enjoyed my time here and I’ve been progressing at a steady rate. 

INSIDE THE SERIES: SOUTH ALABAMA

Saturday’s matchup marks the first in program history between Auburn and South Alabama. South Alabama will be the 143rd different opponent Auburn has played all-time, including 92 of the other 135 current FBS programs.

South Alabama is the 12th different in-state non-conference opponent Auburn has played in program history. The Tigers have compiled a 63-4-1 record against the group.

Former Auburn linebacker Tre’ Williams (2014-17) is in his third season at South Alabama, serving as the team’s special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach. Williams played in 47 career games at Auburn and made 188 tackles, including 11.0 TFL and 3.5 sacks

BY THE NUMBERS

24: Auburn appeared at No. 24 in the AP poll this week, marking the first time the Tigers have been ranked in the AP poll since they were ranked No. 16 on Nov. 7, 2021. Ranked Auburn teams are 93-6 vs. unranked non-conference opponents at Jordan-Hare Stadium all-time with 24 straight victories. 

121: Jeremiah Cobb turned in his first career 100-yard game with 121 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries vs. Ball State. His 121 rushing yards were the sixth most in the SEC this season, and the game marked Cobb’s first career two-touchdown contest. He has already surpassed his career high with three rushing touchdowns on the season.

68: Auburn’s defense allowed 68 yards of total offense against Ball State last week, marking the fewest total yards since holding Ole Miss to 9 yards in 1985. The Tigers have allowed a total of 551 total yards (275.5 YPG) through two games, which is the fewest since allowing 364 yards (182 YPG) through the first two games in 2021. 

33: The Tigers have won their last 33 Homecoming games, including a 45-19 win over New Mexico last year. Auburn has an 86-8-4 Homecoming record all-time since the first game was played in 1924 on the old Drake Field.