The Opening Drive: Auburn vs. Ball State

AUBURN, Ala. – After an impressive season-opening performance at Baylor, Auburn welcomes Ball State Saturday night for Kickoff on The Plains.

“We’re thrilled to get the win, on to the next one,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said. “You hope the focus is on us and not a given opponent, and it's on us getting better from last week, and there’s a lot on the film that we can. We don’t have to search for it; it’s there.”

Freeze relies on Auburn’s captains and the Tigers’ leadership council to send the message that Saturday is an opportunity to improve, not to overlook a Group of Five opponent.

“If the leadership of the team truly wants to have a year that we look back on and are pleased with, there’s zero chance of that happening without us understanding that the task at hand is to better ourselves from week one to week two,” he said. 

“It doesn’t matter who the opponent is or what people say. I’ve had a lot of those that you get into that’s a dogfight because you didn’t have that mentality. I hope we are at a point in year three that we have some leaders who understand it’s not about anybody other than Auburn and how we should improve each week, regardless of who we are playing.”

Saturday’s game marks Auburn’s 16th consecutive sellout, one shy of the program record. 

“Our fans were incredible in Waco, along with our band, cheerleaders, and people who traveled there,” Freeze said. “But there’s nothing like playing at home. We’ve got to have an edge about us when we play here. It’s a special opportunity.”

Hundreds of Auburn football lettermen will return to Jordan-Hare Stadium for the Pat Dye Reunion Game, honoring the college football hall of fame coach who led Auburn from 1981-92, compiling a 99-39-4 record, four SEC championships and a national championship. 

“It will be good to see all those guys back here,” Freeze said. “We’re thrilled to be kicking things off at home and finding a way, hopefully, to get better this week.” 

Seeking its 18th win in its past 20 home openers, Auburn welcomes Ball State Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU, where Lowell Galindo, Aaron Murray and Lauren Sisler will team up on the broadcast. On the Auburn Sports Network, Andy Burcham, Jason Campbell and Ronnie Brown will provide play-by-play, analysis and sideline reporting.

THREE QUESTIONS WITH OL MASON MURPHY

Q: How did you feel about your Auburn debut at Baylor, helping the Tigers rush for 307 yards, 5.9 yards per carry and four touchdowns? 

A: It was awesome. We won a game on the road and that’s a hard thing to do in college football. We ran the ball really well. I had a lot of fun playing with the guys and getting out there with them in that environment. We knew that was going to be the way we’d win the game. They were going to make us earn our yards in the run game. They’re not going to fill the box. They’re going to cover our receivers because we have a dangerous receiver room. It was going to be a hard-knock football game, in the trenches, running that football, and that’s exactly what we did.

Q: What’s the adjustment been like so far, coming to Auburn all the way from Southern California?  

A: It’s been an adjustment for sure but I love it out here. It’s a great family, tight-knit environment. Auburn’s an awesome town with a lot of awesome people. Football just means more down here, and I love it.

Q: What are your thoughts on getting to play in Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time? 

A: I’m excited. I’ve seen the videos. I’ve heard the stories. It’s going to be electric. It’s going to be loud. It’s going to be fun. 

INSIDE THE SERIES: BALL STATE

Auburn is 3-0 all-time against Ball State with all three previous matchups being played at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Tigers have outscored the Cardinals 147-33 in the three previous meetings, most recently a 54-30 win on Sept. 26, 2009. 

Auburn is 9-0 all-time against teams from the Mid-American Conference.

• Ball State (3-0)
• Akron (2-0)
• Buffalo (1-0)
• Kent State (1-0)
• Northern Illinois (1-0)
• Western Michigan (1-0)

BY THE NUMBERS

38: Auburn’s 38 points at Baylor were its most points in a road non-conference game since defeating Florida State, 42-41, on Oct. 13, 1984. The win marked the program’s first road win in a season opener since defeating Virginia 28-17 to begin the 1997 season.

100: With a career-high 137 yards rushing and 108 yards passing, Jackson Arnold became the first Auburn quarterback since Cam Newton (2010) to rush and pass for 100+ yards in their Auburn debut. He was also one of four quarterbacks in the country and the only from the SEC to rush and pass for 100+ yards in week one. 

98: Rayshawn Pleasant returned his first kickoff in an Auburn uniform 98 yards for a touchdown in last week’s win at Baylor. It was Pleasant’s third kickoff return touchdown of his career, and it was Auburn’s longest kickoff return touchdown since Tre Mason’s 100-yard return vs. Washington State in 2013. 

16: Saturday will mark Auburn’s 16th consecutive sellout at Jordan-Hare Stadium dating back to the beginning of the 2023 season. The current sellout streak record stands at 17 from 2013-16. The first three homes of 2025 and four of seven home games overall are already sold out.