The stands of FirstBank Stadium, sat in the middle of Vanderbilt University, were filled with orange and blue Saturday afternoon as Auburn fans took over the Commodores’ stadium to witness Auburn’s 31-15 defeat over Vanderbilt.
Players and coaches of Auburn’s football team did not let the effort of the Auburn faithful go unnoticed – praising them after the game.
“I just think our fans are incredible,” said head coach Hugh Freeze. “When we got off the bus, the Tiger Walk was packed, and then you run out and I literally thought the stands behind us was pretty much all Auburn and there was quite a few orange on the other side… I’m certainly not the one to decide what percentage was Auburn, but it did not feel like we were in a typical road game.”
In front of thousands of Auburn fans, the Tigers earned their second straight SEC win after starting the season 0-4. The wins marked the first time Auburn has won back-to-back SEC games since defeating Arkansas and Ole Miss in October 2021.
Freeze wasn’t the only one who acknowledged that plenty of Auburn fans were in attendance. Safety Jaylin Simpson, who has plenty of experience playing on the road as he’s in his fifth season on the Plains, backed up Freeze’s praise.
“It felt kind of like a home game or like a bowl game atmosphere anyway, but it was real big,” Simpson said. “We had to come get this one. I mean, we already know Vandy wasn’t the best team, but it’s still an SEC opponent. So, you gotta go out there and play four quarters.”
After totaling six tackles, Simpson now sits at 28 tackles on the season with four interceptions and one fumble recovery.
Running back Jarquez Hunter had statistically the best game of his career Saturday night, setting a career-high 183 yards rushing while also scoring two touchdowns. Both of his touchdowns came in the first quarter and were runs of 56 yards or more.
Now in his third season on the Plains, Hunter wasn’t surprised by the support he and his teammates received.
“That was great support,” Hunter said. “I mean, we had more fans than them. Auburn fans always gonna show up and support, and I love it.”
Hunter has now recorded back-to-back games of 100 yards rushing or more. After rushing for just 218 yards over Auburn’s first six games of the season, the Mississippi native now sits at 636 yards rushing and seven touchdowns with an additional 94 yards receiving.
Now sitting at 5-4 overall with Arkansas, New Mexico State and Alabama left on the schedule, Auburn needs just one more win to become bowl eligible. For Freeze, preseason goals are never something he’s implemented, but he made an exception before he started his first season at Auburn.
“The first logical step in our rebuild here is gaining bowl eligibility, which we’ve done every year I’ve taken over a program in the first year whether it was Arkansas State, Ole Miss or Liberty,” Freeze said.
Auburn failed to make a bowl game last season – going 5-7 under former head coach Bryan Harsin and interim head coach Carnell “Cadillac” Williams” – but has a shot to return to a bowl game for the first time since 2021 and win a bowl game since 2018.
“We’ve got to learn from [mistakes], but man, thrilled to win a second consecutive SEC game, particularly on the road and get us one step closer to being bowl eligible,” Freeze said.
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Jacob Waters is a senior majoring in journalism. From Leeds, Alabama, he started with The Plainsman in August, 2021.
Twitter: @JacobWaters_
