< PreviousOfficial Smoked Sausage and Hot Dog of the Auburn Tigers ® True southern flavor since 1947. Made in Evergreen Alabama. - 1 lb. Conecuh Smoked Sausage - Hot dog buns - BBQ sauce, warmed - Grilled Peppers and Onions - Sauerkraut - Sweet Dill Relish - Ketchup, Mayonnaise, Mustard Conecuh Sausage dogs are perfect for tailgating with your favorite team when the game is on, or anytime! Grill sausage on all sides until done, pop it in a warm bun and add your favorite toppings. Make sure you have plenty of sausage - and napkins - on hand for seconds (and thirds)! CONECUH SAUSAGE DOG 800-726-0507 ConecuhSausage.comGAMEDAY AT JORDAN-HARE STADIUM UNIQUELY AUBURN: UNIQUELY AUBURN: GAMEDAY AT JORDAN-HARE STADIUM 21 There’s nothing quite like attend- ing a football game at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Opposing players always talk about Auburn being the hardest place in the SEC to play. Opposing fans always leave impressed regardless of the outcome. And the home fans? The Auburn Family? They are who make it so spe- cial. “It’s the people,” interim head coach Carnell Williams said. “I truly believe this with all my heart that we got some of the best fans in the country. The way they support us and the way they wave the towels – from the War Eagle flying to cheering us on – they truly help us out in so many ways. And I’m not speaking that as a coach. I’m speaking that as a former player. They inspire and empower our guys to run through a wall.” But in addition to the fans, there are so many different pieces that come together on a home Saturday in the fall to create an unforgettable experi- ence unlike any other – from the eagle flight to the field to the band. It’s truly unique. The Eagle: ‘A special moment’ Just like the Auburn Tigers, the Auburn eagles practice all week long so they’ll be at their best on gameday. “We’re out here in Jordan-Hare Stadium Monday through Friday from July until the end of the season,” said Andrew Hopkins, in his 10th season directing Auburn’s eagle flights. Hopkins trains Aurea, a golden eagle that began flying before Auburn games in 2018 and was officially named War Eagle VIII the following year. Fellow raptor trainer Amana Sweeney han- dles Independence, a bald eagle that debuted last season. “We hear from fans about how they tear up when the eagle flies,” said Hopkins, an Auburn University zoology graduate and the assistant director of raptor training and education at the Southeastern Raptor Center in Au- burn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. When they’re not training Aurea and Indy at the stadium, Hopkins and Sweeney take their show on the road to visit schools. “About 300 shows a year,” Hopkins said. “When we go to an elementary school and kids see an eagle for the first time up close, it gets almost as loud as Jordan-Hare Stadium on gameday.” The eagle flight attracts visitors, even if they’re not yet fans of Auburn football, says Hopkins. “We’ve even received letters from people who have no Auburn affiliation and no SEC affiliation, but they’ve come to an Auburn game because it was on their bucket list to see the eagle fly,” Hopkins said. Though eagles have been associat- ed with Auburn football for more than a century, the pregame flight did not begin until Aug. 31, 2000, when Tiger, also known as War Eagle VI, flew from the end zone to midfield, delighting the 76,128 fans in attendance for the season opener vs. Wyoming. Before long, the flights began on the concourse between the lower and up- per bowls, making for a more majestic flight as the eagles circle the stadium before locating their trainer at midfield. “Auburn fans love the eagle flight,” Hopkins said. “They love both the War Eagle, and when we fly Independence, our bald eagle. It brings everyone to- gether and it’s a special moment.” AUBURNTIGERS.COM BY JEFF SHEARER AND GREG OSTENDORF PROUD PARTNER Get the right defense for the right price. Switch and save with Allstate. Based on average annual savings of new customers surveyed in 2021 who reported auto savings when switching to Allstate. In most states, prices vary based on how you buy. © 2022 Allstate Insurance Company, 3100 Sanders Road, Northbrook, IL 60062. Marks are registered trademarks of their respective owners.UNIQUELY AUBURN: GAMEDAY AT JORDAN-HARE STADIUM 23 The Field: ‘Leave no stone unturned’ Zach Willard remembers attending games as a kid. When he’d walk through the tunnel to go to his seat, the first thing he would see was the field. The grass was cut perfectly. The logo at midfield popped. Like most fans, he was enam- ored. Now, as a manager in Athletic Turf at Auburn, it is Willard’s job to create that same experience for the next fan who walks through the tunnel at Jordan-Hare Stadium and sees the field for the first time. “I always keep that in the back of my mind,” Willard said. “This is a lot bigger than me. It’s all about Auburn and the fans. We’re preparing for that moment for some fan, an experience that they’re not going to forget. “But it’s also for our players, too. There are guys who are prepping for the league. They need to be set up for success from top to bottom, and that includes the playing surface.” To get the field ready for this Satur- day’s game against Texas A&M, Willard and his team started working as soon as the Arkansas game ended. They mowed the grass that night, followed by a sweep of the field with a Buffalo Turbine blower to get the surface as clean as possible to begin the healing process. On a game week, they typically mow again Tuesday and Thursday. They’ll paint the field Wednesday (white), Thursday (colors) and Friday (lines, second coat). And then Willard likes to arrive at the stadium eight hours before kickoff on Saturday for one final mow to give it that good finish. There’s a lot of time and hard work involved, but come gameday, it’s worth it. “We leave no stone unturned when it comes to fan experience and player experience with the playing surface,” Willard said. “There’s just a great level of satisfaction on gamedays to see it all come to fruition.” The Band: ‘The soundtrack of Auburn football’ One of 380 members of the Auburn University Marching Band, sophomore snare drummer Peyton Rice shared words of wisdom with his freshman bandmates before this season’s opener. “’You’ll never experience anything in your life like running out of the tunnel for pregame,’” said Rice, a music education major. “It’s so exhilarating, you feel the ground rumbling. We add that element of hype and anticipation for the football game. It’s an unexplainable feeling.” Gameday for AUMB begins long be- fore kickoff. For a typical game that kicks off at 2:30 p.m., the band will practice for two hours at 8 a.m., then play for Tiger Walk at 12:30 p.m., followed by the Spirit March and Four Corners Pep Rally. “It’s nonstop but it’s a lot of fun,” said Dr. Corey Spurlin, in his 16th year directing the Auburn University March- ing Band. Once inside Jordan-Hare Stadium, band members will hydrate before performing their pregame show, then proceed to the stadium’s southeast corner to play throughout the game, re- turning to Pat Dye Field for their halftime show, which frequently promotes aspects related to Auburn University. “We try to provide the best colle- giate atmosphere we can for our team and entertain our fans the best we can,” Spurlin said. “We consider ourselves to be ambassadors for Auburn.” Members of the Auburn University Marching Band audition early in the summer, with more than 100 applicants not making this year’s roster. After prac- ticing on their own throughout the sum- mer, band members gathered in early August for preseason camp – just like the Auburn football team – rehearsing from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Just like the Tigers, Dr. Spurlin’s AUMB practices each afternoon from 3 to 5 p.m. “Marching bands are one of the factors that differentiate college football from professional sports,” Spurlin said. “We like to consider ourselves to be the soundtrack of Auburn football.” AUBURNTIGERS.COM GAMEDAY AT JORDAN-HARE STADIUM UNIQUELY AUBURN:INTERIM HEAD COACH CARNELL WILLIAMS 27 Carnell ‘Cadillac’ Williams, a former all-American at Auburn, was named the interim head football coach on October 31, 2022. Williams is in his fourth season as the Tigers’ running backs coach. As a player at Auburn, Williams helped lead the Tigers to an unde- feated season in 2004 while earning All-America honors that year. The 2005 NFL Rookie of the Year, Williams had a seven-year NFL career before entering the coaching ranks. A native of Gadsden, Alabama, and product of Etowah High School, Williams finished his Auburn career (2001-04) with 3,831 yards on 741 attempts with 45 touchdowns. He broke the Auburn career record of most run- ning attempts, passing Joe Cribbs, and most touchdowns scored, passing Bo Jackson, while finishing second in total rushing yards and all-purpose yards. As a senior in 2004, Williams helped lead the Tigers to one of the best sea- sons in program history, winning an SEC Championship en route to a perfect 13-0 season and a Sugar Bowl victory. He led Auburn in rushing with 1,165 yards and 12 touchdowns while tally- ing 1,718 all-purpose yards. He earned All-America honors, was the SEC Spe- cial Teams Player of the Year, and named to the All-SEC team. In his four seasons at Auburn, Wil- liams earned nine SEC Player of the Week honors, the most in league history. During his time on the Plains, the Tigers were 37-14 and won three SEC Western Division titles (2001, ‘02, ‘04). He re- mains as Auburn’s No. 2 all-time rushing and is the Tigers’ career leader in rush- ing attempts and rushing touchdowns. The fifth pick overall pick of the 2005 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Williams was named the NFL Rookie of the Year after leading all rookies in rushing yards with 1,178, while posting six 100-yard rushing games in 14 starts. Williams spent six seasons with Tampa Bay before spending his final season in 2011 with the St. Louis Rams. After being slowed by injuries for sev- eral years, Williams was narrowly edged for the AP 2009 Comeback Player of the Year Award by Tom Brady, finishing second after rushing for 821 yards on 210 carries with a 3.9 average and four touchdowns during the 2009 season. Williams finished his NFL career with 4,038 yards with 21 touchdowns and 148 receptions for 1,002 yards and four scores. Under Williams’ tutelage in 2020, freshman running back Tank Bigsby was named the SEC Co-Freshman of the Year and Associated Press SEC Newcomer of the Year after leading all freshmen in the conference with 834 rushing yards. Bigsby was the first Auburn freshman in school history to rush for three con- secutive 100-yard games and his 834 yards were the second most all-time at Auburn by a rookie. During his first season in 2019, the Tigers posted five 100-yard rushing games and D.J. Williams earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors for his performance against LSU. In two sea- sons, Williams’ backs have tallied nine AUBURNTIGERS.COM CARNELL WILLIAMS INTERIM HEAD COACH® FAVORITE CHIP OF THE @GOLDENFLAKE @GOLDEN_FLAKE @GOLDEN_FLAKE WWW.GOLDENFLAKE.COM | WWW.UTZSNACKS.COMINTERIM HEAD COACH CARNELL WILLIAMS 29 100-yard games and three SEC weekly honors. Williams’ coaching career started at Henderson State in 2015 where he served as the running backs coach. After a stint at the University of West Georgia in 2016, Williams was the running backs coach for IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida for two seasons (2017-18). Williams also served as the running backs coach for the Birming- ham Iron of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). Williams graduated from Auburn in December 2014. He and his wife Evan Williams have two boys: Cole and Cuinn. AUBURNTIGERS.COM WILLIAMS AT A GLANCE Personal Hometown: Gadsden, Alabama Wife: Evan Children: sons: Cole, Cuinn College: Auburn University (2014) Playing Experience: Auburn University (2001-04) Tampa Bay Buccaneers [NFL] (2005-10) St. Louis Rams [NFL] (2011) Coaching Experience 2022-current: Auburn Interim Head Coach/Running Backs/ Recruiting Coordinator 2019-2022: Auburn Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator 2018: Birmingham Iron (AAF) Running Backs 2017: IMG Academy Running Backs 2016: West Georgia Offensive Graduate Assistant Bowl Experience Coach: 2020 Outback Bowl 2021 Citrus Bowl 2021 Birmingham Bowl Player: 2001 Peach Bowl 2003 Capital One Bowl 2003 Music City Bowl 2005 Sugar BowlNext >