Auburn is turning up the volume for Saturday’s meeting with No. 18 LSU, and not just in the usual Jordan-Hare way.
Per Auburn Deputy Athletic Director for External Affairs and Chief Revenue Officer Rhett Hobart, the Auburn University Marching Band will be louder than normal for the game. For the first time, the band will be placed in front of a microphone, adding to the noise inside the stadium.
Hobart also said it will be mic’d up through field-level band speakers, with a 1-2 second delay between that speaker and the main system. On top of that, Auburn will play the former anthem, All The Above, as a crowd-energizer.
It’s a noticeable edge for a team that has been gaining momentum at just the right time. Head coach Alex Golesh’s group is coming off its biggest win in a decade, and already the biggest win of his tenure just six games in, after knocking off No.
1 Georgia on a game-winning field goal in Athens last weekend. That result has put Auburn back in the conversation as a team that’s tough to handle.
Now comes LSU, a ranked opponent with its own complications. The Tigers from Baton Rouge have not won an away game this season, with losses at Kentucky and Ole Miss. Both defeats came in one-score games, including the overtime loss to the Wildcats that ended on a bold two-point conversion call.
Auburn is also stepping back into Jordan-Hare after a long stretch away from home. The Tigers haven’t played there in nearly a month, and the return should bring a sellout atmosphere.
Auburn beat Vanderbilt 21-15 on the Plains at the end of September, then entered a run that included four SEC ranked opponents. Instead of coming home on a two-game skid, Golesh’s team now has fresh momentum and a chance to keep steering things back in the right direction.
There’s also AP Poll juice hanging over the matchup. Auburn picked up 61 votes in this week’s poll, making it the third team out of the top 25. A win over LSU would almost certainly push the Tigers into the rankings, ahead of a trip to Ole Miss on Halloween.
Saturday’s game also gives Auburn a chance to use every ounce of its home-field edge to disrupt transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt and an LSU offense that will try to seize control early.
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. Central at Jordan-Hare Stadium, with ABC carrying the broadcast.
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The numbers point to LSU as the steadier team on paper, with advantages in several offensive and defensive categories, but the trip to Jordan-Hare has a way of shrinking those edges. Auburn does not need to be perfect at home to make life uncomfortable, especially when the atmosphere is already primed after a signature win. For LSU, the challenge is turning statistical superiority into a road performance, and for Auburn, it is about using the home-field surge before the emotional letdown has a chance to settle in. [Read more 🡒]
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Auburns Playoff Buzz Suddenly Feels Real After One Massive Win
Beating No. 1 Georgia as a hefty underdog changed the conversation around Auburn in a hurry, and now the Tigers are sitting at 4-2 with a lot more attention than they had a week ago. Under Alex Golesh, the season suddenly looks like more than a rebuilding job, because a win like that gives a team credibility, momentum and a reason to check the calendar a little differently.
The schedule ahead will decide whether the buzz turns into something sturdier, with LSU and Ole Miss looming as the next major tests. Auburns College Football Playoff path is still very much a scenario-based discussion rather than a finished product, but after knocking off the top team in the country, the door feels open enough to keep watching. [Read more 🡒]