Homecoming: Your weekend guide to Auburn Football

AUBURN, ALA. — As the summer heat continues its toll on the day, the night again belongs to the No. 8 Auburn Tigers (2-0) who welcome the Kent State Golden Flashes (1-1) to Jordan-Hare Stadium for Homecoming at 6 pm/c on ESPN 2 Saturday evening. This is the time of year that the Loveliest Village on the Plains opens her arms up wide and welcomes her children back to a place they’ll always recognize as home — Auburn.

Young and old, far and wide, former student-athletes and alumnus spreading the globe, if they make one trip back to Auburn, it’s usually going to be for the occasion of Homecoming. The high will be hovering around 90° during the day, so a glass of fresh-squeezed, ice-cold lemonade from Toomer’s Drugs will certainly hit the spot.

Of course, be sure to get there early so you can experience one of Auburn’s favorite traditions, Tiger Walk, which as a rule of thumb, always starts two hours prior to kickoff. So in other words, at 4 pm I need you at the Athletic Complex on South Donahue Drive to give our guys high-fives and plenty of “War Damn Eagle’s!”

Perhaps there’s not a better reason for attending an Auburn Football game than this next one, which I consider the most magnificent tradition in all of college football — the pre-game flight of Auburn’s War Eagle.

I get goose-bumps just thinking about it. It’s an experience all its own and one that you will never forget as a fan. It’s surreal and spellbinding to see Auburn’s extraordinary five-year-old golden eagle named Aurea, with a 6.5 foot wingspan, soar over the crowd, while the force of the air beneath her wings is lifted by the yells of Auburn fans bellowing out a constant, “Warrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…” as the majestic bird continues circling just above the sea of Tiger fans.

You hear her scream as she glides swiftly overhead, her target now midfield as she takes a nose-dive toward the very brand “AU” that saved her and nursed her back to health after she injured her wing in the wild. “Eagle, hey!” the fans exclaim as she lands perfectly on target, dead center at midfield to the mystique and astonishment, and certainly applause from Auburn fans and the opponent’s fans, alike. The whole stadium is in awe. The eagle flight typically starts 10-15 minutes prior to kickoff so try to be in your seat at 5:45 pm.

AUrea took her first flight of the 2019 season and it was the stuff of legend. Such a gorgeous eagle! So proud! #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/kGrKHdtrK5

— Power of Dixieland (@PwrofDixieland) September 11, 2019

If you’re getting to the Plains relatively early on Saturday and especially if you’ve got the kids, be sure to check out Tiger Fan Fest at 2 pm on Donahue Drive in front of the Nichols Center. It’s free of charge and family friendly featuring the jumpy-bouncy inflatable things that kids love, along with games and the most fabulous free stuff. Coca-Cola sponsors the event so there should be plenty of the good stuff to help quench your thirst.

Focusing in on the game itself, the Tigers are overwhelming favorites as one might assume. According to Vegas, Auburn is a 35.5 point favorite over the Flashes. The Tigers have actually beat the Vegas spread in its first two games of 2019 so they’ll look to make it three straight ATS when they host Kent State. The total sets around 54 points which looks like a much more safer play to me. I’m not a betting man, or I’m foolishly trying to convince myself of that, but I like the under 54 points before I’d take the Tigers -35.5. I can easily see a 38-3 outcome or at the most, a 45-7 type game.

And last but not least, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one of Auburn’s longest running traditions, after a Tiger win, you know what you have to do — roll Toomer’s! If you or your kids haven’t experienced it, this is one of those perfect games where everyone can get in on the fun and create some memories by painting Toomer’s Corner white.

War Eagle and Happy Homecoming!

*Our buddy Jeremy Henderson of The War Eagle Reader assembles Auburn Fan Guides each week for al.com and goes much more in-depth, especially when covering the entire weekend, shuttle service, parking, events, etc. I’ve included the link so you can check it out for yourself: https://www.al.com/auburnfootball/2019/09/auburn-gameday-complete-fan-guide-for-auburn-vs-kent-state.html