Auburn ready for A-Day: 'We'll give them a show'

AUBURN, Ala. – For 60 first-time Tigers, Auburn’s A-Day game Saturday marks their first taste of gameday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

“It’s awesome for our kids to play in an environment that is different,” said first-year head coach Alex Golesh, who says Auburn’s first stadium scrimmage last week gave him goosebumps. “Our players, it will be big for them in an environment where people are around. For half this team, including the coaches, it’s the first time in the stadium in front of people.”

Golesh invited Auburn fans to attend Saturday’s free scrimmage to help simulate for the team what they can expect this fall.

“It will the last time they get to do it before you do it in real life in Atlanta in a couple months,” Golesh said. “For us to take a step, we need that. We need some crowd noise, we need distraction, we need things going, for us to get a full live rep at it.”

The A-Day format will feature Auburn’s offense competing against the Tigers’ defense for four quarters, with the offense in white jerseys scoring six points for a touchdown, one for a PAT, three for a field goal, two for a 2-point conversion, one for a first down and one for a play that gains 20 or more yards.

Clad in blue jerseys, the defense receives seven points for a touchdown, four for an interception, fumble recovery or fourth-down stop, three for a three-and-out and two for a sack.

“We need another day of offense versus defense,” Golesh said. “Everybody needs it, the coaches need it as well. We’ll play it like a real game. It’ll be uber competitive. We’ve got to find an award for the winner.”

With a favorable forecast calling for temperatures in the mid-80s with no rain, Golesh says it would be “incredible” for Auburn to have a large turnout.

“It will be a fun time,” Golesh said. “They’ll get a chance to see a continuation of what this defense has built here these last couple years. They’ll get to see a bunch of kids on offense that are as excited as anybody to play in here for the first time.”

 

As much as Auburn has emphasized fundamentals, formations and schemes during spring practice, the Tigers have also stressed the importance of mental conditioning.

“I told the guys when I brought them up, the mindset when you walk into the stadium, it’s one way in, one way out,” Golesh said. “We’ve got to get to a point where we’ll roll up and play anybody, anywhere, anytime. That’s a mindset when you come to Auburn that you expect to have. We’re getting there, but we’re not there yet. We’ve got to start working to get there.”

The culmination of A-Day Week presented by Golden Flake, Saturday’s scrimmage starts at 2 p.m. CT and features a postgame autograph session on Pat Dye Field.

“It’ll be a fun day,” Golesh said. “It’s football in the spring in Auburn, Alabama. What else do you want? I’d be super grateful to pack this thing out. We’ll give them a show, we’ll make it fun.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer