Auburn Police Sgt. Darrell Downing moves between groups of police officers in neon-yellow vests. He checks their positions against his color-coded chart and briskly answers questions.
He's helping prepare Jordan-Hare Stadium for Saturday, Oct.12, game against the Western Carolina Catamounts.
Golf carts whiz by carrying people around the stadium, food vendors wearing blue Auburn jerseys lean against their counters and the Tiger Eyes members take pictures of each other on the 50-yard line.
Police officers cluster in groups. They smoke and talk and wait until the moment when 87,451 fans will stream into the stands and watch the eagle circle the field.
Game day is Auburn at its busiest. The Auburn Police Department relies on help from state troopers and officers from other counties to handle the 80,000-200,000 fans who descend onto the town.
Ensuring the masses have a safe and enjoyable experience requires weeks of planning and coordination. Luckily, they've had practice.
"It runs like a well-oiled machine," said Police Cpt. Lorenza Dorsey, who organizes the detectives in plain clothes roaming campus in unmarked cars.
"We've gotten really good at it," said Sgt. Brock Young, supervisor of campus operations.
The police handle thousands of minor details on game days. They check parking barriers, answer visitors' questions, look for lost purses and stop numerous attempts to sneak into Jordan-Hare Stadium.
They place officers throughout the stadium for security.
Officers watch for the usual problems: intoxication and disorderly conduct.
Downing said he finds students passed out in the student section from too much alcohol and too little water.
"A lot of times it smells like a bar coming through here," Downing said, as he stood by the entrance gate.
He recalled one incident in which a student tried hiding cans of beer taped to his legs under baggy jeans, and called it the most creative attempt at smuggling alcohol he's seen.
The police randomly search visitors for weapons, alcohol and other contraband.
Officers find so many knives that the University keeps a table where students can check their knives to pick up on the way out.
During games, they monitor the crowd. For Dorsey, Young and Downing, this means missing the action.
"You get to catch a couple plays here and there, but you're supposed to be watching the crowd," Downing said.
All three are Auburn fans, so missing the game is a drawback to the job.
"You want to see it, but we're getting paid to do a job, and we're responsible," Young said.
Working inside the stadium can be difficult in the massive crowd. Downing keeps his phone on vibrate because the noise drowns out the ringtone.
Once everything finishes, Young said getting fans safely out of Auburn can be tough. Managing traffic presents a serious challenge to a small town better acquainted with country roads than highways.
The police station provides officers at 20 intersections and turns East Samford Avenue into a one-way street to help the flow of traffic.
According to Young, the end of a long Saturday game day is a relief.
"I'd be lying if there wasn't some frustration," Young said.
Young said the job has its benefits, though.
"I'm a fan, so I enjoy being around athletics," Dorsey said. "When it's a big game and the fans are into it, it's exciting."
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