AUBURN, Ala. – Their teammates having departed for Mississippi, Jordyn Peters and Big Kat Bryant returned to their residence Friday evening.
"Haven't been on our own the night before a game since we've been here because we travel every Friday," Peters said. "We were talking, it was sort of cool. We felt like we were in high school again."
An eventful Saturday awaited these Auburn teammates and roommates, commencement and competition in neighboring states.
As had been the case on so many Saturdays the past four years, Bryant and Peters heard cheers when public address announcer Ric Smith called their names at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
This time, the accomplishments were not blocked punts, interceptions or sacks. They were the culmination of a four-year academic journey.
During Auburn University's 2020 Fall Commencement, Bryant graduated in the College of Liberal Arts, with his family there to greet him as he walked across the stage and received his degree.
Two hours later, Peters, who earned his marketing degree from Auburn University's Harbert College of Business, took his turn, with 10 family members cheering him on.
"It was a huge deal," Peters said. "My family makes a huge deal of it because it is a huge deal to graduate from college. Just to have my family down here, it was a good feeling.
"Coming from the year we had with COVID, and having to be separated the whole time and all of the uncertainty, to have a bit of normalcy, a regular graduation and have your family there was great."
This is what it's all about 🎓
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 14, 2020
We're so proud of you guys! pic.twitter.com/iARLRXdork
After the ceremony, Peters and Bryant had about an hour before their plane departed from Auburn University Regional Airport at 2:30 p.m. CT, four hours before the Tigers kicked off at Mississippi State in the regular season finale. After taking pictures, Jordyn's family bid him adieu.
"Shoot, they were rushing me to leave and get on the plane," Peters said. "They were ready to kick me out of Auburn."Jordyn Peters, before the last game of his senior season
The Tigers were not originally scheduled to play on Commencement Day. The SEC rescheduled Auburn's game with Mississippi State from Nov. 14 to Dec. 12 because of COVID-19 concerns at MSU last month.
"That's when it became an issue," said Peters, crediting Auburn's coaching staff for seeking solutions for players who wanted to multitask.
"Something we always wanted to do was walk with our class the day we were supposed to," Peters said. "My mom was really big that she wanted me to graduate when I was supposed to, how I was supposed to. For that to happen, that was amazing really."
The 240-mile flight took only 35 minutes, reuniting Peters and Bryant with their teammates after 24 hours apart.Big Kat Bryant exits after landing in Starkville
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"Me and Kat were chilling, having fun experiencing all the amenities you get to have when you fly privately," Peters said.
Despite missing meetings and walkthroughs at the team hotel Friday night and Saturday morning, the seasoned vets were ready.'A regular day for us': senior captain Big Kat Bryant rallies his teammates before kickoff
"Me and Kat, we've been here so long, it didn't really matter," Peters said. "We knew how to prepare up to that point. The game is not won the day before, it's won the week before. Kat and I had prepared properly. I wasn't worried about it, he wasn't worried about it. It was a regular day for us."
Seven more Auburn student-athletes graduated after the fall semester: Nick Brahms, K.J. Britt, Anders Carlson, Tanner Dean, Tashawn Manning, Bill Taylor and Austin Troxell, joining 11 players on the 2020 roster who had already earned bachelor's degrees. Many of the fall graduates will participate in Spring Commencement. Exclamation point: Big Kat Bryant made his 10th career sack on Mississippi State's last play
Adding a storybook ending to the day, Bryant sacked Mississippi State's quarterback on the Bulldogs' final play to cap Auburn's 24-10 victory, Big Kat's 10th career sack.
"It was amazing," said Derick Hall, who earned SEC defensive lineman of the week honors for making two of Auburn's six sacks. "I was very excited and happy for him, knowing all the stuff he's been through, the injury this year, the leadership he has for us as a defensive line and a defense. It was tremendous for him to get that last sack."'Grateful': Big Kat Bryant celebrates his sack in Auburn's 24-10 win
"I'm just grateful to be here and able to experience this day," Bryant tweeted on the way back to the Plains. "The only thing I can do is thank God because I never EVER pictured a day like this. I enjoyed every moment!"
After jet-setting to the game, the Auburn grads bused home with their teammates, a 4-hour journey that passed quickly thanks to the game's outcome.
"That was cool too," Peters said. "When you travel with the team, something funny always happens with the guys. It was after a win, so we're always going to have fun on the bus ride back."SEC Graduate: Auburn's equipment team sewed patches on the new grads' jerseys
For their last game of the 2020 regular season, Auburn football's nine most recent graduates had an extra accessory on their jerseys to mark their achievement: an SEC graduate patch.
"It was wild. I'm glad we came out with a W, and I'll never forget that day," Peters said. "It was honestly one of the best days of my life."Jet-setters: Big Kat Bryant (left) and Jordyn Peters landed in Starkville after graduating in Auburn
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer