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The LifeGreen color is a trademark of Regions Bank. 435 1 12/2812/284 TABLE OF CONTENTS 5 ...........................................................................................................Schedule 6 ..........................................................................................Scouting Auburn 8.......................................................................................Scouting Ball State 10 .............................................................................................Auburn Roster 12..........................................................................................Ball State Roster 14 .............................................................Opponent Outlook: Ball State 16 ......................................................................................Auburn Traditions 18 ...............................................................................................Depth Charts 20 .....................................................................................Stats Comparison 22-24 .............................Simply a Legend: Pat Dye Reunion Game 28-30 ............................................................Head Coach Hugh Freeze 32-36 .............................................................................Assistant Coaches 38 ........................................................................25 Years of Eagle Flights 40 ....................................................................................Auburn University 42 .......................................................................................Board of Trustees 44 .....................................................President Christopher B. Roberts 46 .....................................................Director of Athletics John Cohen 48 ......................................................................Through the Lens: Baylor 50 .................................................University News: Lucky Man Studio 52 ...................................................Meet the Coaches: Chad Lunsford 54 ..................................................................Jordan-Hare Stadium Map 56-57 ...................................................................Gameday Parking Map 60 ......................................................................Heisman Trophy Winners 62 ..............................................................................................All-Americans 64 ...........................................................................Yellawood Partnership 66 ................................................................Postseason Trophy Winners 68-69 ...............................................................................Tigers in the NFL 72 ....................................................Auburn Football: By The Numbers 74 ...........................................................................Auburn University App 76 ............................Marching Band, Cheerleaders and Tiger Paws 78-90 .........................................................................2025 Auburn Tigers 92 .................................................................Everything Auburn Podcast 94 ................................................................................Undefeated Seasons 96 .............................................................................Orange & Blue Review 99 ................................................................................2025 SEC Schedule 101 ....................................................Olympic Sport Update: Volleyball 103-104 .........................................................Auburn Sports Properties COVER: ..............................................................................................Pat Dye TABLE OF CONTENTS AUBURNTIGERS.COM2025 AUBURN SCHEDULE 5 AUBURNTIGERS.COM 8.29 Baylor Waco, TX McLane Stadium 9.13 South Alabama Auburn, AL Jordan-Hare Stadium Homecoming 10.25 Arkansas Fayetteville, AR Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium 9.6 Ball State Auburn, AL Jordan-Hare Stadium 10.18 Missouri Auburn, AL Jordan-Hare Stadium 10.11 Georgia Auburn, AL Jordan-Hare Stadium 9.20 Oklahoma Norman, OK Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium 11.1 Kentucky Auburn, AL Jordan-Hare Stadium 9.27 Texas A&M College Station, TX Kyle Field 11.8 Vanderbilt Nashville, TN FirstBank Stadium 11.22 Mercer Auburn, AL Jordan-Hare Stadium 11.30 Alabama Auburn, AL Jordan-Hare Stadium Blue - Home Orange - Away 2025 AUBURN SCHEDULE www.joxfm.com6 SCOUTING AUBURN HEAD COACH Hugh Freeze (Southern Miss, 1992) Auburn Record ..........................................................12-14 (3rd Season) Career Record .......................................................115-61 (15th Season) vs. Ball State ..............................................................................................0-0 AUBURN (1-0, 0-0) August 29 .....................at Baylor ...............................................W, 38-24 Sept. 6 ............................BALL STATE .......................................6:30 p.m. Sept. 13 ..........................SOUTH ALABAMA .........................11:45 a.m. Sept. 20 .........................at #18 Oklahoma ........................................Flex Sept. 27 ..........................at #19 Texas A&M ...........................Afternoon Oct. 11 .............................#4 GEORGIA ............................................Night Oct. 18 ............................MISSOURI .....................................................Flex Oct. 25 ...........................at Arkansas ..................................................Early Nov. 1 ..............................KENTUCKY ...................................................Flex Nov. 8 .............................at Vanderbilt ....................................Afternoon Nov. 22 ...........................MERCER .....................................................1 p.m. Nov. 29 ...........................#21 ALABAMA.............................................Flex STORY LINES n Saturday’s contest against Ball State marks Kickoff on The Plains and is the Pat Dye Reunion Game, with more than 250 letterwinners from teams coached by Dye from 1981-92 reuniting on The Plains. n The game also marks the 25-year anniversary of the first eagle flight at Jordan-Hare Stadium (Aug. 31, 2000). n 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. n The Tigers are 106-16-3 (.860) all-time in home openers, including 71-12-2 (.847) in home openers at Jordan-Hare Stadium. n The Tigers have won 17 of their last 19 home openers, including both under head coach Hugh Freeze - outscoring its opponents 132-17 in those two contests. n Saturday marks the 16th consecutive sellout at Jordan-Hare Stadium dating back to the beginning of the 2023 season, marking the second longest sellout streak in program history (17 games from 2013-16). n Auburn has scored in a school-record 155 consecutive games dating back to the first game of 2013. n Last Friday’s win at Baylor marks Auburn’s first road win in a season opener since defeating Virginia 28-17 on Sept. 4, 1997. n The team’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. n Auburn rushed for 307 yards on 52 carries in last week’s win, good for 5.9 yards per carry. The 307 rushing yards were the most in the SEC, second most against a Power 4 defense and 10th most in FBS. n Making his Auburn debut at Baylor, Jackson Arnold rushed for a career-high 137 yards with two rushing touchdowns while going 11-for-17 with 108 yards passing. He became the first Auburn QB since Cam Newton (2010) to rush and pass for 100+ yards in their Auburn debut. n Eric Singleton Jr. has a catch in every game of his collegiate career (25 straight). The streak is the 14th longest active streak in FBS. n Auburn’s offensive line has combined for 245 career games played, the most in the SEC and seventh most in the country. n Team captains for the 2025 season are RB Damari Alston, S Champ Anthony, DE Keldric Faulk and OL Connor Lew. n Thirty-six former Auburn letterwinners will begin the 2025 season on NFL rosters this weekend. AUBURN IN HOME OPENERS n The Tigers are 106-16-3 (.860) all-time in home openers; there were no games played in Auburn in 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1897, 1937 and 1938. n Although Jordan-Hare Stadium opened in 1939, the Tigers did not open a season there until 1951; since then, Auburn is 71-12-2 at the stadium in home openers. n The Tigers have won 17 of their last 19 home openers, the latest loss coming in 2016 to the eventual national champion Clemson Tigers by a 19-13 score. n Auburn has outscored its opponents 132-17 in two home openers under head coach Hugh Freeze, averaging 66 points per game in the two contests. ACTION JACKSON n Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold rushed for a career- high 137 yards on 16 carries, good for 8.6 yards per carry, and matched a career high with two rushing touchdowns while going 11-for-17 with 108 yards passing in his Auburn debut at Baylor. n He became the first Auburn quarterback since Cam Newton (2010) to rush and pass for 100+ yards in their Auburn debut. n 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. n His 137 rushing yards were the most by a SEC player in week one and the most by an Auburn quarterback since Nick Marshall rushed for 214 yards at Tennessee in 2013. n Six of his 16 rush attempts were for 10+ yards, including his two touchdowns runs of 24 and 27 yards. SCOUTING AUBURN AUBURNTIGERS.COM8 SCOUTING BALL STATE HEAD COACH Mike Uremovich (Purdue, 2000) Ball State Record ............................................................0-1 (1st Season) Career Record ..........................................................23-12 (4th Season) vs. Auburn ..................................................................................................0-0 BALL STATE (0-1, 0-0) Aug. 30 ............................at Purdue ...................................................L, 0-31 Sept. 6 ..............................at Auburn ..............................................6:30 p.m. Sept. 13 ............................NEW HAMPSHIRE ..................................1 p.m. Sept. 20 ...........................at UConn ...............................................2:30 p.m. Oct. 4................................OHIO .............................................................11 a.m. Oct. 11 ...............................at Western Michigan .................................TBD Oct. 18 ..............................AKRON ..................................................2:30 p.m. Oct. 25 .............................at Northern Illinois ......................................TBD Nov. 5 ...............................KENT STATE ...........................................6/7 p.m. Nov. 15 .............................EASTERN MICHIGAN .............................TBD Nov. 22 .............................at Toledo ..........................................................TBD Nov. 29 ............................at Miami (Ohio) ...........................................TBD STORY LINES n Ball State makes a return visit to the Southeastern Conference this week, playing at an SEC stadium for the 11th time in history and the fourth time at Auburn. In recent years, the Cardinals opened the 2022 campaign at Tennessee; then played their first two games of 2023 at Kentucky and Georgia. The Cardinals previously played at Auburn in 2001, 2005 and 2009. n For the second time in three seasons, Ball State opens its season with a pair of games against Power-4 conferences. The Cardinals opened the 2023 campaign at Kentucky and Georgia. n Ball State is among six programs nationally who return one or fewer rushing TDs from its 2024 roster: Stanford, New Mexico and Utah return zero rushing touchdowns; Ball State, Eastern Michigan and Southern Miss each return one. n Ball State’s 53 newcomers dropped a 31-0 decision at Purdue in last week’s opening game, and the first game of the Mike Uremovich coaching era. n Offensive stars included redshirt senior quarterback Kiael Kelly who rushed for a team-high 63 yards on a career- high 22 carries, and transfer running back Qua Ashley who ran for 45 yards on 10 carries. Entering the ninth start of his career, Kelly boasts 961 career rushing yards, third in school history by a quarterback and just 39 yards from 1,000. n After punts on its first four offensive series, Ball State punted just once the rest of the way and allowed its defense some needed time off the field. While Adam Saul booted five times for a 40.8-yard average, the Cardinals moved into scoring position twice in the second half but missed on 45- and 29-yard field goal attempts. n The defensive unit got a team-high five tackles from senior linebacker Joey Stemler, and four apiece from senior transfers Alfred Chea and Nathan Voorhis. Voorhis registered his first sack of the season, among five Ball State tackles for loss. The Cardinals limited Purdue to 93 rushing yards as Ball State’s rushing game “out-averaged” the Boilermakers, 3.2 yards per carry to 3.1. BY THE NUMBERS n Ball State returns one rushing touchdown from its 2024 roster: Kiael Kelly’s 9-yard, opening-drive score at Vanderbilt came in a wildcat formation. n Mike Uremovich’s full-time coaching staff at Ball State accounts for 54 career appearances in FBS bowl games. n A total of 33 transfers are on the Cardinals’ roster. Among 30 four-year transfers and three junior college transfers, 11 are seniors. n Quarterback Kiael Kelly has recorded 961 career rushing yards, the third-most by a quarterback in Ball State history. WHAT A WIN MEANS... n Ball State would beat an SEC opponent for the first time in 14 tries. n Mike Uremovich would log his first victory as Ball State’s head coach. INSIDE THE SERIES n In what will be the fourth game Ball State has played at Auburn, it is the most games the Cardinals have ever played against any SEC opponent. n Jordan-Hare Stadium hosts the Cardinals for the fourth time on Saturday. It is also the most visits by any MAC opponent at Auburn. (Akron has visited Auburn twice.) n The Week 2 matchup at Auburn is fitting this season. In 2001, the Cardinals and Tigers met in the season opener. In 2005, they met in Week 3 and in 2009, it was in Week 4. SCOUTING BALL STATE AUBURNTIGERS.COM Kiael KellyNext >