Auburn, Ala. - The atmosphere in Jordan-Hare Stadium for Saturday night's 13-10 win over the Texas A&M Aggies served as an important reminder of what makes Auburn so special.
“I am very appreciative of the Auburn Family and the way that they showed up Saturday night," Auburn interim head coach Cadillac Williams said. "Wow, what an atmosphere and a great win, but now it's time for us to turn that page, which as of Sunday we definitely turned the page on that because we have a Western Kentucky team that is pretty doggone good."
The Tigers played in front of a sold-out home crowd for the first time since their week three loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions.
It has been a rough year for the Auburn football program, both on and off the field. However, when Williams was named the interim head coach for the remainder of the season, hope surrounded the team once again. Auburn fans from near and far descended upon Jordan-Hare this weekend to show their support for the legendary player turned coach. This included the majority of the 2004 Tigers Football team that achieved a 13-0 record with Williams leading the way on the ground.
"My favorite moment was, of course, the fans and the Auburn Family, but also to see all the former players on the sidelines. I got a chance to reflect," Williams said. "These are guys that I fought with, trained with. A lot of good memories. I was just replaying them in my mind. So, I honestly thought that was the coolest thing, seeing the smiles on their faces. All of those guys being in the locker room when I addressed the team."
The players showed their appreciation for Williams by presenting him with the game ball.
“It caught me by surprise because I did the speech, we danced. To have the captains Derick Hall and Owen (Pappoe) and those guys come up and present me with the game ball, that was when it kind of hit different," Williams said. "It was when I realized that this is real. We just won the game and to hear those guys say that they appreciate me pouring into their life because at the end of the day – win, lose or draw – I told the guys that it’s all about life lessons for me."
Auburn will go for its second win on Saturday as the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers make the trip down to Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game will kick off at 3:00 P.M.
