Saturday will mark a first for both programs that will take the field at Pat Dye Field in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Auburn and South Alabama will meet on the gridiron for the first time ever.
Something that Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze and athletic director John Cohen have emphasized since their arrival on the Plains is scheduling in-state opponents for non-conference matchups. After all, the money being shelled out to host a Group of Five school will stay in the state.
The Jaguars will mark the 12th in-state opponent that Auburn has faced in program history. The Tigers have compiled a 63-4-1 record against the group.
“Really good to keep the… it is close to all the fan bases and cheaper on all of them to travel, and keeps the money in the state, so to speak. So, I think it’s healthy and a good thing,” Freeze said.
Freeze is no stranger to leading smaller programs against bigger opponents with greater pedigree. At previous stops, such as Liberty and Arkansas State, he embraced those challenges. Most recently, while it wasn’t an in-state matchup, he guided Liberty to a signature 21-19 upset over Arkansas.
“Now, it does make me a little nervous, because I’ve been on the other side at places like Liberty and Arkansas State. When you get a chance to play an in-state opponent, you get fired up for it,” Freeze said.
Saturday will mark the Tigers' annual homecoming game on the Plains. It is set to be the 17th straight sellout, which will tie the program record previously set from 2013 to 2016.
However, the Jaguars, led by head coach Major Applewhite in his second season at the helm in Mobile, are far from a pushover. And they’ll do anything they can to make their first trip to Auburn a memorable one.
Trailing by 16 points heading into the final stanza, South Alabama fell short of its comeback bid against Tulane last week, ultimately losing 33-31 after a failed two-point conversion attempt.
While keeping the money in-state and hosting a program you’ve never faced before is certainly something Freeze and Cohen are eager to do, there’s one caveat for Freeze.
“I just wish they weren’t as good as they are,” Freeze said.
Kickoff is set for 11:45 a.m. on SECN.
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