SZVETITZ COLUMN: Whatever the reason, Auburn fans out in force

Maybe it was the weather.

Maybe it was the new offense.

Maybe it was the quarterback battle.

Maybe it was the chance to catch Auburn football for less money than it takes to fill the gas tank of an 18-wheeler.

Maybe it was Gene Chizik.

Maybe.

Whatever it was, 45,381 fans came to watch Auburn’s annual A-Day spring game Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

That’s about 10,000 more than last year. And the biggest crowd since, well, ever.

No, it’s not 92,000-plus. And it probably never will be. But it was more than any other spring game on record. Even the one before and after Auburn’s 2004 undefeated season — about 10 grand more.

“My hat’s off to all the Auburn faithful,” Chizik said. “It’s really awesome.”

The game itself, well, wasn’t. And how can a glorified scrimmage be? Really. Especially when first-teamers are going against second-teamers.

But it wasn’t so much about the game on the field that fans came to see. It was the game inside the game. And you’d be kidding yourself to think that what was going on in Tuscaloosa at the same time Saturday didn’t have something to do with it.

It was that, and everything else already discussed. Even to show support for the new head coach.

You think?

“I think they’re Auburn people,” Chizik said when asked. “I think they’re Auburn fans. I can’t specifically say who or what they were supporting, except to say, it’s got to be my belief, that they support Auburn.

“So they came out to watch Auburn today. And it was really awesome to see.”

And exciting, he added.

And not just for the head coach. Or even new defensive coordinator Ted Roof, who just got a taste of the craziness.

“I can’t wait to see what it will be like next September when we tee it up for real,” he said.

The players felt it, too.

“Let me tell you why I’m so excited about it, because our kids noticed it today,” Chizik said. “You could hear them talk about it.

“When you beat each other up for 13 days now, you’ve got to have something to look forward to. And they did. They looked forward to today.

“And I’ll tell you what, our fans delivered. It was a great crowd. But it’s the Auburn Way.”

And that “Auburn Way” has taken a hit over the last eight months, if you’ll remember ... The Tony Franklin situation ... the Vanderbilt loss ... 5-7 ... the month of December that saw Tommy Tuberville leave and Chizik enter ... the boos at the airport ... the punch lines ... the outcry ...

Remember?

And now, four months after Chizik stepped off that plane on a cold Sunday night in December — and everything else that has happened in between — you get 45,381.

“It’s been a real interesting four months,” Chizik said. “You went from getting hired to trying to hire a staff to try to finish up recruiting to going to new recruiting to going to spring ball — just kind of a never ending process.”

And now it’s paying off. People are excited about Auburn football again. There’s a buzz. And actual fans to provide it.

But what Chizik is most proud of are his players — the ones who had to endure the last eight months.

“I’ve got to hand it to our kids, because I tell you what now, it’s been a long year for them,” Chizik said. “People lose sight of that. You’ve got to go back a ways right now and figure out what these guys have gone through in the last year, OK?

“Their worlds have been turned upside down, and so my hat’s off to our players and our kids, because they have been very, very resilient, in my opinion. And I’m proud of where they’re at.”

And that’s why 45,381 showed up for a scrimmage in April.

MIKE SZVETITZ is sports editor of the Opelika-Auburn News. He may be reached at or 737-2513.

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