Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics
We have once again reached this exciting time of year. After a rather dramatic offseason, it’s time for the annual renewal of what brings us all together, Auburn Football. Many might argue that it’s trivial to be so invested in “just a game” but it truly does “Just Mean More”. Football season is more than just a time of year, it’s a way of life. Year after year, as the season changes from summer to fall old friendships are renewed and families reunite around this great sport. But is it really just the game that captivates us all? Sure, I love the stats and strategy that goes into it, but what makes Falls around here so special is that Auburn Spirit. It’s that spirit that makes you fall in love with Auburn at a young age and stays in you long past your time here. It’s that feeling you get when we “direct our attention to the flag pole for a special presentation” or the child like wonder when the ball is flying through the air as everyone yells “War Eagle.” The players change, the coaches change, the opponents change but, that Spirit, the Auburn Spirit, remains. It remains in me and it remains in you.
As we turn our attention to the 130th edition of Auburn Football, it seems as though there might be more questions than answers about the team with kickoff rapidly approaching. How much has TJ Finley improved over the offseason? Can this veteran-led offensive line finally take the next step? Can the defense reload like seasons past? Will this group of mostly inexperienced wide receivers make an impact in the offense? Can the team as a whole overcome all of the offseason drama as they prepare for the nation’s toughest schedule? The answers to all of these questions will come soon enough but, even with all the doubt it’s hard to not simply get excited about the season to come. If you’ve followed Auburn Athletics for even a short amount of time you then should know, better than most, that Auburn is simply unpredictable and will never cease to surprise you. That’s the fun in the game, even with all the preseason rankings and predictions, you still have to line up and play football.
As we begin another journey together this fall, I look forward to experiencing all the things that make Auburn so special with each of you. Now just days away from the season opener, it’s exciting to watch the “little” town transform into a spectacle that’s talked about around the South. The RV’s start to roll in Thursday evening, the tailgate tents start to rise early on Friday, downtown starts to come alive, and then Auburn men and women from all around start to make their old home, home again. It’s in this moment that the Auburn Family, that’s so widely talked about, truly comes to life. It’s those people that you’ve tailgated with for years, the family that has sat next to you for seasons, and the old friends you keep running into. That’s the Auburn Family. No matter how many wins or losses we experience together this season, we all share in a special love for this place, this school, this group of people and that’s what makes Fall in Auburn so special after all.
Welcome Back and Welcome Home.
“It’s Time For Auburn Tiger Football!”
Gameday Information - Auburn versus Mercer | Game One
Timeline: 3:00pm - Tiger Tailgate Show - Auburn Network
4:00pm - Tiger Walk 4:00pm - Jordan-Hare Stadium Gates Open
4:45pm - Four Corners Pep Rally 5:40pm - Pre-Game Festivities Begin
6:02pm - Kickoff
Watch: Stream on SECN+/ESPN+
Listen: Auburn Sports Network https://auburntigers.com/sports/2018/6/15/aubur n-sports-network-listen.aspx
Patrick Party Information - Coverage of Week One Patrick Party Pregame: Our live Pregame show will air from 8:00am - 9:00am on Saturday Morning. Pregame will take an inside look into the Auburn Football Tiger's season opener against the Mercer Bears and all of the other Labor Day Weekend games across the country. Watch Live on The Patrick Party's Youtube, Facebook, or Twitter Pages. You can also watch live on our website, www.patrickparty.com
Patrick Party Picks: Our weekly minute long picks of the best college football games of the weekend will debut on Pregame on Saturday morning and will then be made available on all of our Social Media platfroms
Patrick Party Podcast: The Patrick Party Podcast provides listeners with a weekly update and analysis of the Auburn Football program. This week's Patrick Party Podcast will debut on Friday Morning. Episodes are made available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and www.patrickparty.com