Just more than 48 hours stands between the Auburn Tigers and the opening kick of their 2026 season opener against the Baylor Bears in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
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With all of the emotions continuing to build, the excitement for the new year is bound to show on the field on both sides, making for what could be a marquee matchup by the end of it.
In light of that, Auburn Undercover takes a look back at the last five season openers that the Tigers have played in. Auburn has not lost a season opener since the 2016 season, when it fell to the Clemson Tigers 19-13.
It’s time to recap the 2024 opener for the Tigers, who welcomed in-state foe Alabama A&M to Jordan-Hare Stadium, winning more than comfortably by a score of 73-3.
On the fourth play of the year, Auburn struck the scoreboard first thanks to a 34-yard run from Jarquez Hunter, the start of an electric first quarter of play for Hugh Freeze’s squad.
A couple of minutes later, Penn State transfer KeAndre Lambert-Smith got in on the action with a 67-yard receiving touchdown from Payton Thorne, before Cam Coleman got on the board soon after with a 44-yard receiving touchdown of his own, making it 21-0.
Lambert-Smith then made a light 4-yard catch to hit paydirt again, extending the score to 28-0 heading into the second.
Kicker Towns McGough knocked home a 32-yard field goal in the beginning part of the quarter, but Perry Thompson soon had the offense striking lightning again with a 70-yard catch and run into the end zone to push things to 38-0.
Austin McCredy then got the Bulldogs away from the shutout with a 43-yard field goal but Auburn kept going with two more scores before the half—one a 4-yard run from Thorne and the other a 2-yard rush from Damari Alston to make it 52-3 at the break.
Things slowed down in the second half from a production standpoint, but the Tigers were not done. On a blocked punt, Malcolm Simmons recovered the ball for a touchdown, before later snagging a 57-yard pass from Hank Brown to put the score at 66-3.
Brown then capped things off in the fourth quarter with his second touchdown pass of the day, finding Sam Jackson V for 37 yards with 9:09 left in the game, putting the score at its resting spot at 73-3.
Thorne led the passing game in the opener, going 13-for-21 in the air with 322 yards and four touchdowns, while also running four times for 49 yards and another score. Simmons, despite not scoring until the second half, was the leading receiver with three catches for 91 yards and one touchdown, part of his two total for the game.
The ground attack did not rack up as much yardage as it had compared to prior season openers, but dispersed the ball well nonetheless. Hunter led all rushers for the game with four rushes for 53 yards and one touchdown. The rushing game as a whole had 18 carries for 177 yards and three scores.
Jalen McLeod took the lead in terms of tackles, racking up five total for the night with two tackles for loss and one sack. His sack was one of three for the game, with the others coming from Malik Blocton and Keldric Faulk.
Auburn finished Freeze’s second year with another losing record at 5-7, not making it into a bowl game, which at the time marked the program’s second time in the last three seasons.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
