Tuesday, November 12, 2019

My Favorite Auburn Home Games

In honor of football season, I wanted to post my top Auburn home games I've ever seen. I've grown up going to all the Auburn home games. My extended family would stay at the same hotel with our rooms all right next to each other. We all lived in different places, but we would spend the weekend together tailgating and cheering on our team. Auburn football and just Auburn in general has had a huge impact on my life and it's a big part of who I am.

I'm just including the ones I've seen in Jordan-Hare so that means no national championship, away games, etc.

In no particular order:

2001- Florida
When I was young I wasn't aware of our rankings or how good the other team was, I just loved Auburn. However, Florida was the exception. Growing up in Florida, I had to deal with trash-talking Gator fans. Coming into this game, Florida was the top team in the nation and Auburn was unranked. I remember my mom talking to the hotel bellhop who brought our luggage in and them saying how they hope we don't lose too bad. That was the general atmosphere. "I know we're going to lose. I just don't want to get blown out".
I don't remember much from the game but that last field goal to win and my dad lifting me up in the air.
Final Score: Auburn 23, Florida 20


2010-LSU
This is the game when I thought "Okay. This team might be something special".
Final Score: Auburn 24, LSU 17


2009-West Virginia
Also known as "The Rain Game". We got to the stadium and before we could even go up to our seats, the announcer came on the speakers and told everyone to leave their seats and seek shelter. We ended up against the glass where the recruits were. It kept raining and lightning and they kept pushing back the start time. On the screens, you could see that the students had all stayed in their seats. My dad said that we would be able to sit anywhere we wanted when it started because everyone will have left.

Forty five minutes later, we walk up the ramp to a completely packed stadium. When the players ran out onto the field, you could feel the energy in the air. It was electrifying.
Final Score: Auburn 41, West Virginia 30


2009-Alabama
Here I am, a Barner, claiming another moral victory. Alabama was national championship bound and we were a team with a brand new coach. The game starts with an Auburn touchdown...then an onside kick and another touchdown. 14-0 against Alabama when everyone predicted a blowout?!

They can call this game "the Drive". I don't care. All I know is that you couldn't even hear Rammer Jammer because the entire stadium was chanting "It's great to be an Auburn Tiger".
Final Score: Alabama 26, Auburn 21


2006-Florida
The things I remember the most about this game are Tre Smith's flip into the endzone after the blocked punt and how loud it was.
Final Score: Auburn 27, Florida 17


2013-Georgia
For this game I was lucky enough to sit on the 30 yard line at the top of the student section and right below the alumni. Auburn dominated most of the game and it looked like we had it won...until Georgia came back in the 4th quarter. They went ahead with one point. We had the ball on 4th and long with   seconds left. I knew we had already lost. The season was over. Nick Marshall throws it into triple coverage and it's an intercept...wait Ricardo Louis catches it and runs it in for a touchdown!! I just remember screaming "WHAT?!WHAT?!" over and over. I hug complete strangers.
It was the greatest play I had ever witnessed...until two weeks later.
Final Score: Auburn 43, Georgia 38


2013-Alabama
I said no particular order, but this is #1 and always will be. I'm a pessimist when it comes to football, but deep down I felt like this game was going to be something. And this isn't hindsight talking. There was a definite feeling among Auburn fans that this game was going to be special, though we didn't know how special. There was so much hype going into it...#1 vs #4, Gameday was here, and the winner goes to the SEC championship. Students were camped out the day before to get a seat.

Me and my roommate get there two hours before, skip a ton of people in line, and act like we've been there the whole time. When we get inside, we run to the nearest empty ramp and see that it is already packed. We go all the way to the top of the endzone and ask everyone, "Is this seat taken?" until we find room for two. The game is back-and-forth with a couple of missed field goals on Alabama's part. I don't know how many times I said, "That's it. We had our chance and we blew it."

At end of the 4th quarter, Alabama had the ball. The time ran out as the Alabama player ran out of bounds. That was it. We were going to overtime. Except Saban challenged it, they reviewed it, and he stepped out with one second left. So they line up to kick a field goal. Everyone was screaming. He kicks it and...he misses it. At first, I was just relieved and happy he didn't get it. I remember seeing Chris Davis catch it and start running. I heard someone say, "There's still time". I couldn't believe what I was seeing. This couldn't be real. He crosses the goal line, fireworks go off, and the students start rushing the field. History had been made.

I am so happy that I was able to witness that game in person and that I was old enough to fully appreciate it.
Final Score: Auburn 34, Alabama 28