Auburn vs. Georgia

As the 2010 football season dwindles down, our games get more intense and the stakes get higher. Auburn is now 11-0 and has one game left to play against our biggest rival, Bama. Today's game, though, was against Georgia. For those who don't know, the Auburn/Georgia game is the oldest rivalry in the South. In fact, today's game marked the 114th game in this rivalry. For those interested, Auburn has won the majority of those match-ups. The stats are now 54-52-8. So maybe you can grasp that the Auburn/Georgia game is a big deal. Although, Auburn lost the last four games against Georgia before tonight, which has made the rivalry kind of fizzle. But tonight was different. :)

Tonight was incredibly special for many reasons. Not only was this rivalry reignited, but for me it was my last home game as a student (undergrad that is). Now let me take you back about 20 years and explain why this is so significant.

My parents took me to my first Auburn football game when I was 2 years old. Since then I've really only known the lifestyle of a football fan in the Fall. We go to all of the home games and most away, unless there are previous engagements for a particular Saturday. We also sit in the same seats season after season, section 29 row 41 seats 21-25. Those seats just happen to fall directly on the fence that divides the student section from the season ticket holders, so I've been right next to the student section my entire life. Now growing up I knew there was only one place I wanted to go to college, in fact it was the only place I applied. Now fast forward to freshman year. It was so incredible to be in the student section for the first time. It was like being surrounded by a family of people who were in the same walk of life as me and had the same crazy passion for this football team as I did. I knew that being over there was something special, and even being so close on the other side of the fence with my parents was not the same. I've relished in getting in line hours before game time and just sitting in the sun getting to know those around me until kickoff. It's really become an incredible family, and even though I know I'll always be part of the Auburn family there's just something beyond words about sitting with my fellow students and creating irreplaceable memories.

Now back to today. Today was full of special moments that I will now share with you. As you probably know there is a lot of negativity surrounding our quarterback, Cam Newton (previously mentioned here), and the Auburn family has really come together to show him our support. So today we watched him live on the jumbo-tron coming through Tiger Walk and erupted when he entered the stadium. Now Cam first ran past the students as we cheered him on and then he did something I haven't seen him do before (note: this doesn't mean he hasn't before, I just never saw it). He jogged down to the empty side of the stands, kneeled at the goal post and prayed by himself. He then stood, patted the goal post and ran back to mid-field to pray with his team (a ritual that always warms my heart).

That's the team praying.

Another moment that gave me chills today was the eagle flying. Sometimes when we see the eagle fly game after game we tend to forget how truly special it is, so today I told myself that I would really take it in. Nova, the eagle, flew right over my head today and circled over the student section flying alarmingly low. It was absolutely beautiful.

Also during pregame, Bo Jackson was presented with a plaque commemorating the 25th anniversary of his Heisman win. P.S. that means he will be honored this year at the Heisman presentation in NYC in December. So make sure to watch it this year, as if you weren't already for Cam.

Also the sunset tonight was a beautiful orange and blue, just as God intended. ha ha

Anyway another high point was when freshman running back Michael Dyer broke Bo Jackson's freshman rushing record with 850 yards this season (so far). The camera zoned in on Dyer on the sidelines and had a caption alerting the stadium of this new record. It was funny because he didn't even know what was going on until he read the screen himself, then he stood up and let everyone cheer for him. The really great part of this moment though, was when Bo Jackson came over right then to shake Dyer's hand, kiss him on the head, and hold up his arm like Dyer was the new champion. Honestly, that one moment made me tear up. There just aren't many times that something that special will happen.

Speaking of record breaking, Cam became the first player in SEC history tonight to complete 2,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing in the same season. Just sayin', don't tell me he shouldn't get the Heisman, he is clearly the most outstanding player in college football this year.

Anyway, the end of this game was the best part of the night. We won, as I mentioned earlier Auburn is now 11-0 this season, which is amazing!! A great moment in this was watching the senior football players take their glory walk one last time around the stadium. Now let me say that the best part of winning is celebrating, especially celebrating in the student section, because we don't leave until we absolutely have to. Tonight we sang 'Lean On Me' in support of the struggles our team is currently facing (this also made my heart smile). In typical victory fashion, though, we sing the fight song, we sing 'Hey! Baby', but most importantly we sing the Alma Mater. The students link up (wrap arms around each other) and sway as we sing the Alma Mater a cappella. I definitely cried during that moment because I know that no matte what, win, lose or draw, that at the end of any game we link up and sing an anthem to our school. And it was very special for me to have that tonight for the last official time as a student. These words ring so true in the heart of an Auburn Tiger:

On the rolling plains of Dixie
'Neath the sun-kissed sky,
Proudly stands our Alma Mater
Banners high.

To thy name we'll sing the praise,
From hearts that love so true,
And pledge to thee our loyalty
the ages through.

We hail thee, Auburn, and we vow
To work for thy just fame,
And hold in memory as we do now
Thy cherished name.

All in all this night was unforgettable. We do have one game left, though, and I'll be there to support my team in T-town too. Oh I mean regular season, did I forget to mention that tonight's win made us the SEC West Champions? That's right you know where we'll be December 4th!! (Thank goodness my final on Dec. 6th is gonna be a piece of cake!)

But for now that's all. It's been a great 5 (oops) years and I feel so blessed to have been part of the Auburn family my whole life. Thank goodness my parents were smart enough to raise me the right way. :)

"I believe in Auburn, and love it!"

War Eagle!!