It was an emotional Saturday night in Jordan-Hare Stadium, as Auburn scraped by Texas A&M 13-10.
Emotions ran high with players flooding the student section after the final snap, and interim head coach Carnell “Cadillac” Williams smiling and following right behind them.
After a crushing 39-33 overtime loss to Mississippi State last week, Williams’ first win as the leader of the Tigers was celebrated like a party by his players. Williams said that team captain Derick Hall supplied his head coach with the game ball after the win, and the players piled on praise for their coach.
“That (winning for Williams) means the most because we can tell just how much love he has for us and how much support he has for us, even before he was the head coach,” said defensive lineman Marcus Harris. “To get him in that position and then help him win this game, that was amazing. He really brought the energy tonight.”
Energetic is one was to describe Auburn's win over the Aggies, but it might be selling it short. It was a historic night under the lights. Multiple players broke Auburn all-time records or moved up in different Auburn all-time ranking categories.
Star running back Tank Bigsby’s 121 yards rushing carried him higher on Auburn’s career rushing yards list. Bigsby passed Ronnie Brown to move to No. 9 all-time in career rushing yards at Auburn.
Brown played running back for the Tigers from 2000-2004 and rushed for 2,707 yards before becoming a top-five draft pick in the 2005 NFL draft.
Bigsby now sits at 2,735 yards with two regular-season games remaining in his junior year.
Bigsby’s fellow running back, sophomore Jarquez Hunter, also made rushing history Saturday night. Hunter’s 121 yards catapulted his career-rushing mark beyond 1,000 yards. Reigning from Mississippi, No. 27 became the 50th player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark, and Bigsby recognized the hard work Auburn's lethal duo has put in to elevate their game.
“I mean, a lot of our work we put in the offseason to now, and it's good to be able to see it pay off,” Bigsby said. “We push each other every day and we strive for greatness, and we try to be the best to ever do it.”
Williams was nearly brought to tears postgame when asked about the duo of Bigsby and Hunter.
"I'm so lucky to have the opportunity to coach two guys, high character young men who this whole time has let me pour into their lives and be vulnerable, and they know that I stand on truth," Williams said.
Senior team captain John Samuel Shenker set the Auburn record for most games played at Auburn — playing in his 60th game at Auburn.
Shenker joined the program in 2017 and redshirted his freshman year. The tight end spent the next few years just rotating into the game, but in 2021 Shenker had his breakout year.
The Georgia native set Auburn single-season records for tight ends in receptions (33) and yards receiving (413) in 2021.
Instead of leaving the program, Shenker used his extra year of eligibility granted due to COVID-19 to return to The Plains for his sixth season in 2022 and now owns the record for most games played at Auburn — passing former Auburn EDGE rusher T.D. Moultry, who played 59 games from 2017-2021.
“I want to thank these players. How awesome are they? I challenged these guys to be vulnerable, open your heart, and let us in,” Williams said. “I told them you have people who care for you, and want to see you do well. A lot of times it felt like they didn't feel that way.”
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Jacob is a sophomore from Leeds, Alabama. This is his second year with The Auburn Plainsman.
Twitter: @JacobWaters_
