Hope is a word that all Auburn fans are familiar with.
Technically, hope is defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen, but Auburn fans call it Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022. Despite Auburn's overall record of 3-6, the feeling of hope was rejuvenated for Tigers fans when Carnell "Cadillac" Williams was named Auburn's interim head coach.
In the 2023 installment of Plainsman's Choice, Auburn's victory over Texas A&M was voted as Best Game from the athletic year.
The day was cold, and the night was colder. Jordan-Hare Stadium's seats were full of hopeful Tigers fans ready to see what Williams had up his sleeve for the first home game as interim head coach. After a big home loss to Arkansas and a program-shifting loss of head coach Bryan Harsin, an unpredictable game against the Aggies was about to commence.
Although the score was a measly 13-10, the game was one of the most powerful Auburn had seen in years. Texas A&M came to The Plains ready to secure its first road win of the season, but the Tigers had an untamable fire fueled by a passion for the game and their new coach.
The Tigers entered the stadium linked arm-in-arm as one, with Williams leading the pack. The fans' roars echoed through the air as attendees braced themselves for history in the making.
Auburn struck first with a touchdown near the end of the first quarter, courtesy of a 66-yard rush from junior running back Tank Bigsby. Bigsby exploded toward the end zone but was barely the fastest in the venue as Williams raced beside him, stride for stride on the sideline.
The Tigers led 7-0 soon after thanks to a touchdown pass from sophomore Robby Ashford to senior Ja'Varrius Johnson.
The score remained 7-0 at the half — the fans remained shoulder to shoulder and the Tigers remained expectant for the back half of the game.
It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Aggies appeared on the scoreboard. After a field goal from Auburn's redshirt freshman kicker Alex McPherson, the Aggies had some making up to do. The score was 10-0 heading into the fourth until the Aggies were able to snag a field goal three minutes into the final quarter.
The Aggies scored the last points of the game thanks to a touchdown with only a minute and a half left to go and in the nail-biting final moments of a monumental game, seconds felt like hours for Tigers fans nationwide.
As the last seconds left the clock, and the temperature got colder, Jordan-Hare was still electric, stacked with fans, foes and hopeful hearts.
Time expired and Auburn won 13-10. Flickering stadium lights and a round of "Swag Surfin'" filled the ears and eyes of Tigers' fans after the game of the season came to an end.
After a fall full of hardships, confusion and unpredictable hurdles, the win against the Aggies created something Auburn needed for a long time: hope.
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