AUBURN | Even in the most desperate of times, Auburn people show up and show out.
They’ve been there all season and they were there Saturday night in Lexington to watch the Tigers finally end a four-game losing streak with a 24-10 win at Kentucky.
Jarquez Hunter could hear them and see them all night as he torched the Wildcats for 278 rushing yards, the fourth-most in program history.
“I love the AU family. They always show up,” said Hunter. “It doesn’t matter where we are, they’re going to come and support. I love that. That’s big thing to us. We love to see our fans on the road and supporting us and giving us the energy we need for away games.”
When Hunter and his teammates return to Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time in more than a month this Saturday, they’ll play in front of a 13th consecutive sellout crowd.
It’s an incredible streak when you consider the Tigers, coming off three consecutive losing seasons and potentially a fourth this fall, are going through the worst stretch in the last 74 years.
There are just not that many programs out there with that kind of sustained support.
It’s rare and it’s something to take pride in. It’s proof that the Auburn family and the Auburn spirit aren’t just catchphrases or marketing campaigns.
It’s all true. Its’s all just Auburn being Auburn.
But every fanbase has its breaking point. While AU clearly hadn’t gotten there yet, the patience was running thin. And we'll just pretend that first quarter never happened.
So it was good to see Auburn’s coaches put their players in position to win a game and those players be able to execute in critical moments.
Hunter’s 27 touches, including 23 carries, were well above his 15.1 average per game coming into Saturday night.
That’s repeatable and should be over the next four games, three of which will be at home.
I don’t know how many of those Auburn will win, but it’s fans will be there regardless, supporting this program and hoping Kentucky was a turning point.
If that wasn’t the turning point, then it’s coming soon.
A program with this much love and support won’t stay down forever.
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In today’s musical journey, we go back one month to the death of a legendary songwriter, singer, actor and leader of the 1970’s outlaw country movement. On Sept. 28, 2024, Kris Kristofferson passed away at the age of 88 after a 62-year career that included three Grammy Awards and a Golden Globe for best actor. Kristofferson’s songwriting credits include “Me and Bobby McGee,” which was recorded by Janis Joplin and released in 1971, becoming only the second posthumously released single to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 100. He also wrote No. 1 country singles for Johnny Cash, Ray Price and Sammi Smith. He produced 21 albums and had two No. 1 country singles of his own in 1973’s “Why Me” and 1985’s “Highwayman.” He was a member of the country supergroup, Highwaymen, along with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson from 1985-95. He appeared in 88 films and 32 T.V. shows including 1976’s A Star is Born, for which he won the Golden Globe, 1977’s Semi-Tough, 1978’s Convoy, 1980’s Heaven’s Gate and three Blade movies in 1998, 2002 and 2004. Kristofferson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004 and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.
Kristoffer Kristofferson was born in born in Brownsville, Texas in 1936. His father was a major general in the Air Force so the family moved a lot during his youth before settling in San Mateo, California, where he graduated high school. He attended Pomona College, where he played rugby, football and track, and graduated with honors in literature. He attended the University of Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship in 1959-60, playing rugby and boxing. Kristofferson joined the U.S. Army in 1960, learning to fly helicopters at Fort Rucker in Alabama and eventually becoming a Ranger in the 8th Infantry Division. In 1965, he left the Army and moved to Nashville and began his musical career. His big break came when he ran into June Carter while sweeping floors at Columbia Recording Studios and convinced her to give Johnny Cash a copy of his demo tape. Cash recorded Kristofferson’s song, “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” in 1970 and it became a No. 1 hit and won Song of the Year at the 1970 CMA Awards. He also released his first album, Kristofferson, in 1970 and his acting career got started with a starring role in 1972’s Cisco, which also starred Gene Hackman, Karen Black and Harry Dean Stanton. Kristofferson was married three times, including to musician Rita Coolidge from 1973-80, and had eight children.
