Hugh Freeze knew that another voice with a different message might hit his players in an influential way. So, the Auburn coach decided to have Cadillac Williams, a man who was his first and likely most crucial hire, give the pregame speech on Saturday.

No, he didn't turn the keys over to Caddy, but he let the Auburn legend rev up the Tigers' engines before the 27-13 victory over Mississippi State.

"Once he started talking, it was just -- it brought me to the time to Mississippi State when he took over the job last year," Cam Riley said. "He was just telling us to play for each other, play for the seniors that we have. Just play for each other, for our brothers."

It was appropriate that the speech came before a game against the Bulldogs, as it was the same team that Auburn faced when Cadillac took over as interim head coach last season. And while the Tigers ultimately lost to MSU last season, it was the beginning of the slow rise from the dweller that Auburn faced following the reckless leadership of the previous regime.

Following that game in Starkville, Cadillac's message to the team was serve. Just serve. Serve yourself, teammates, coaches and everyone in your life. This year, it was basically the same, and as Riley said, focus on your teammates whose careers are winding down.

"We've got 20-something seniors, and if you don't play for anything else, play for those seniors," Jarquez Hunter said. "This is their last chance playing Mississippi State, so go out there and play hard for them."