Auburn football fan guide for 2023 home opener vs. UMass

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Auburn football fan guide for 2023 home opener vs. UMass

Updated: Sep. 01, 2023, 11:43 a.m.|Published: Sep. 01, 2023, 11:32 a.m.

11–14 minutes

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Auburn football is finally back, and it’s freezing on the Plains.

Well, it’s hot, but we’re ready to see how new head coach Hugh Freeze has the Tigers looking for the season opener against the Massachusetts Minutemen in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Here’s what you can expect in Auburn this Saturday.

Auburn football head coach Hugh Freeze during first day of practices, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023 in Auburn, Ala. (AL.com Photo/Stew Milne)Stew Milne

THE GAME!

Auburn finished 5-7 in 2023. Assistant coach Cadillac Williams took over after Bryan Harsin was ousted, injecting new life and enthusiasm in the Tigers for a spirited stretch after a tough 5-game losing streak.

With Cadillac still on staff, we’re now in the Hugh Freeze era on the Plains, and the former Ole Miss and Liberty coach looks to make a statement against UMass on Saturday before the Tigers travel to California next week. UMass are coming off a tough 1-11 season in 2022, their only win against Stony Brook. They did face some SEC competition in Texas A&M and only lost 20-3, so watch out.

Freeze named Payton Thorne the starter two weeks prior to the season opener, so the offense will look to find consistency with its new leader out of the gate. In a season of transition, will Freeze and the new-look Tigers make a splash and send a warning to the rest of the SEC West?

TIGER WALK: 12:30 p.m.

GATES OPEN: 12:30 p.m.

KICKOFF: 2:35 p.m.

TV: ESPN

VENUE: Jordan-Hare Stadium

Auburn students and fans flood into Toomer's Corner roll the trees after a historic game with Auburn battling to an overtime win to send them to the Final Four for the first time in school history. (Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com). Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com

TOOMER’S CORNER TREES

Auburn University announced in August that the pair of replacement live oaks at Toomer’s Corner, which were planted in February of 2017, are ready to roll, or rather to get rolled in celebratory toilet paper. “The rolling of Toomer’s Corner is one of the nation’s top sports traditions,” said Auburn President Christopher B. Roberts in a release. “In recent years, we continued our cherished tradition by rolling different trees, but I’m very excited that the Auburn Family will once again be able to roll our most prominent trees.” The oaks mark the second set of replacements for the original Auburn Oaks, which stood for more than 50 years before being lethally poisoned by herbicide in early 2011.

CASH-FREE

All transactions for tickets, concessions and merchandise locations at Jordan-Hare Stadium will be cashless (credit cards only).

PARKING & TRAFFIC

Learn more about parking on the Auburn website.

Fans can park in two parking decks in downtown Auburn with one located on Wright Street and the other on Burton Street. Access to the lots is open to the public and available for purchase in-person on a day-of-game basis.

During home games, Tiger Transit runs special routes. Buses run for four hours prior to kickoff, intermittently throughout the game and for two hours post-game to return fans to their stops. You may face delay in arriving from and returning to all locations due to pre- and post-game traffic.

Tiger Transit also utilizes Doublemap/Transfer technology to let fans view buses in motion and the routes in real-time via internet and smartphone. Learn more.

Auburn’s gameday website shared the following updates for this season:

• Duncan Drive - Extension: Duncan Drive has been extended between Samford Avenue and Woodfield Drive. The extension will provide an additional south bound outlet to S. College Street.
• Donahue Drive - Northbound: Northbound traffic on Donahue Drive from Magnolia Avenue to MLK Drive (Alabama Highway 14) will be three lanes one way. The change will allow for more efficient egress for Tiger Transit Buses, as well as those that park in the business school and public safety lots.
• Crosswalk Assistance – North and South Donahue: Attendants will be in place at Lem Morrison Drive and Donahue Drive, as well as Donahue Drive and Magnolia Avenue to assist with post-game traffic egress for fans on foot.

TAILGATING

Home Plate Tailgate is located in the Plainsman Park parking lot. According to the Auburn gameday website, the space is free of charge and open to the public as a tailgating destination close to the action of Jordan-Hare Stadium. The site will open four hours prior to kickoff and feature TVs for live college football game viewing and tailgate games. Once in the area, fans will have access to restrooms and tents for shade. Food and beer will be available for purchase.

The Tiger Tailgate Show will again originate from the east side of Jordan-Hare Stadium three hours prior to kickoff. fans can watch Andy Burcham, Jason Campbell, Ronnie Brown, Will Herring, Paul Ellen and Brad Law preview that day’s game. The show, which begins three hours prior to kickoff, features live interviews with players and other notable Auburn figures each week. The stage is located on the east side of the stadium, across from the Cam Newton statue.

Coca-Cola Fan Fest is a free pre-game entertainment area located in front of the Nichols Center on Donahue Drive. It opens four hours prior to kickoff and includes inflatable games, a live DJ, TVs for live college football game viewing and more.

Tailgating begins at 4 p.m. on Friday.

Reserving tailgating spots in grass areas using stakes, ropes, ribbons, tape, chairs, tables, tents, vehicles or other items is not allowed until 4 p.m. on Friday, except for Mell Street Corridor and specially permitted university events. Monitors will be placed in Mell Street areas to ensure that driving lanes and entrances to certain parking areas remain clear.

COCA-COLA FAN FEST

Coca-Cola Fan Fest is Auburn’s free pregame interactive entertainment area located in front of the Nichols Center on Donahue Drive, just north of Auburn Arena and Jordan-Hare Stadium. Fan Fest offers fun for everyone in the family, from parents to young children. Features inflatable games for the kids and a live DJ. It begins four hours before kickoff.

STADIUM ENTRY / METAL DETECTORS

Fans are encouraged to arrive early to avoid delays. Gates and all stadium services open two hours prior to kick-off. Pre-game begins 20 minutes prior to kick-off. Walkthrough metal detectors are on site. Learn more.

TICKETS

Auburn Athletics will continue to use digital tickets for the 2023 season. Learn more about digital ticketing at Auburn.

If ticketholders are unable to attend Auburn football games at Jordan-Hare Stadium, you can transfer or donate those tickets to other Auburn fans using AUBTIX.com.

Ticket pickup locations are listed below:

• General Ticket Pick-Up: Neville Arena Box Office
• Auburn Player Guest Ticket Pick-Up: Gate 19
• Media Credentials: West Ticket Booth (enter through Gate 14)
• Visiting Team Player Guest Ticket Pick-Up: Gate 1
• Suite Ticket Pick-Up: East Elevator Lobby

PROHIBITED ITEMS

The following items are prohibited from being brought into the stadium: Artificial noise makers, cameras with lenses over four inches, non-clear bags, outside food and drink, pets, stadium seats with arms, umbrellas, video cameras, and weapons (including pocket knives).

CLEAR BAG POLICY

The clear bag policy will remain in effect for the 2022 football season. Fans are encouraged to bring as few items as needed into the stadium. Bags must be clear plastic and not exceed 12-inches-by-6-inches-by-12-inches. One-gallon clear resealable plastic storage bags and small clutch purses not exceeding 4.5-inches-by-6.5-inches may be permitted into the stadium. Read the full policy.

COOLING STATIONS | FREE WATER

The weather has cooled some with the arrival of fall, but it can still get pretty warm in Auburn. Complimentary water refill stations are available throughout Jordan-Hare Stadium. Fans are allowed to bring in one empty water bottle for use at the complimentary water refill stations or one unopened factory-sealed bottle of water (up to one liter in size). Cooling stations are available for fans at the following locations inside Jordan-Hare: Section 47, Section 61.

CONCESSIONS

All transactions for concessions, merchandise and chairback locations at Jordan-Hare Stadium will be cashless (credit cards only).

Fans can even skip lines and order digitally for pickup at the stand nearest you by using your smartphone to select “CONCESSIONS” from the sidebar menu on the Auburn Athletics Official app. The dedicated pick-up window for Mobile Express orders will be available at concessions stands located behind sections 3, 28, 58, and 106.

WEATHER

Friday: Showers and a possible thunderstorm and a high near 79, followed by more rain between 9-11 p.m. and an overnight low around 68.

Saturday: Cloudy skies with a high near 81 and a slight chance of showers between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., followed by cloudy skies and an overnight low around 65.

Sunday: Sunny skies with a high near 86, followed by cloudy skies and an overnight low around 63.

-- The National Weather Service

TWITTER

Stay up to date before, during and after the game by following AL.com’s Ainslee Lee, Matt Cohen, aldotcomTigers or aldotcomSports on Twitter.

You can also follow live gameday updates with Auburn’s new social media accounts, which will post information such as road closures, traffic delays, gate opening reminders and more:

• Twitter: @auburn_gameday
• Instagram: @auburn_gameday
• Facebook: Auburn Gameday
• App Store: Search for Auburn Tigers

STORIES YOU WILL LOVE

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ESPN’s Palmer: ‘College football is better when Auburn is good’; names one key piece to AU’s success

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‘Let’s work!’: Before Eugene Asante could be Auburn’s hype man, he had to be his own

‘To be the best, you have to beat the best’: UMass’ Don Brown previews game against Auburn

The most basic way to view difference between Alabama, Auburn

AL.com college football staff picks for Week 1

Week 1 picks are in for Joe vs. the Pro and the Hero

IMPORTANT TIMES

FRIDAY, Sept. 1

10 a.m.

AU Team Shop opens (Neville Arena)

11 a.m.

Friday Football Luncheon, presented by CB&S Bank

East Coliseum Lot closed

2 p.m.

East Coliseum Lot opens

CDV Lot opens

3 p.m.

Hayfields on South Donahue and West Samford Avenue open for RV parking

4 p.m.

Campus open for tailgating (except Mell Street Corridor)

Football, Fans and Feathers (Edgar B. Carter Educational Amphitheater)

Jordan-Hare Locker Room Tours, FREE Admission (South Entrance of Harbert Family Recruiting Center)

5:30 p.m.

Reverse Tiger Walk (Waltosz Performance Center)

SATURDAY, Sept. 2

8 a.m.

Parking lots open

Road closures begin

10:30 a.m.

Coca-Cola Tiger Fan Fest opens (Nichols Center Lawn, FREE)

Home Plate Tailgate, presented by Bud Light (Plainsman Park Parking Lot, open to the public, FREE)

Neville Arena Ticket Office Opens

AU Team Shop opens (Neville Arena)

11:30 a.m.

Tiger Tailgate Show broadcast outside Gate 7 (Locally on 94.3 FM)

Tiger Walk Club opens

Tiger Transit Shuttles Begin

Noon

Executive Suites open

Student gates open (Gates 6-8)

12:30 p.m.

Tiger Walk

Jordan-Hare Stadium gates open - ARRIVE EARLY

Stadium Box Offices open for ticket sales

1:10 p.m.

Spirit March

1:15 p.m.

Four Corners Pep Rally

2 p.m.

Pregame festivities begin on-field

2:35 p.m.

Kickoff vs. UMass

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