AUBURN, Ala. – "Go crazy, Cadillac. Go crazy."
Auburn fans will never forget Rod Bramblett's call from the 2003 Iron Bowl when Carnell "Cadillac" Williams took the game's opening carry and went 80 yards for a touchdown against in-state rival Alabama.
Next Game:
at Mississippi State
Nov. 5, 2022
6:30.m. CT
TV: ESPN2
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
On Saturday, 19 years later, Williams will lead this year's Auburn team into Starkville, Mississippi as the head coach of the Tigers. Williams was named interim head coach Monday, becoming the first African-American head coach in program history.
"I'm just honored for this opportunity as someone who bleeds orange and blue," Williams said. "This school has given me everything."
When Williams addressed the team for the first time as head coach, he prioritized two things – family and hard work. It's going to be the emphasis going forward as the Tigers close out the season with four games in the month of November.
The family part is why Williams chose Auburn as a player back in the day. It's what makes Auburn unique still to this day. The hard work is part of the Auburn Creed. Per Williams, it means relentless effort, finishing on every play. Most importantly, never quit.
"I don't know if we're going to win a ball game or not," Williams said. "But one thing that is going to make me happy is that we play good football and hard Auburn football. That is what I want to get these kids to do. Play hard, compete, and at the end of the day – win, lose or draw – if we do that, we'll make ourselves proud. I know the Auburn Family will be proud, too."
The first test comes Saturday when Auburn travels to face Mississippi State.
The game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT from Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville. It will be televised on ESPN2 with Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic on the call. You can also listen to Andy Burcham, Stan White and Ronnie Brown who will have the radio call on 93.9 Tiger FM and online at AuburnTigers.com.
Three questions with Head Coach Carnell Williams
Q: What does it mean to be named the coach at your alma mater?
A: It didn't hit me until Tuesday morning. I got home. It was a long night Monday night, so I was running on a couple hours of sleep. I got up around 4:30 a.m. and got going, jumped in the shower and went to kiss my boys goodbye. I woke them up real quick and told them, "Hey, Daddy is the head coach at Auburn." They were like, "Yeah Daddy, I know you're the head coach." And then he hit me. He said, "But Daddy, it's only temporary." I got a kick out of that. But then he mentioned something. He asked me, "Daddy, are you the first Black head coach?" I said, "Yes." That is when, I was driving to work this morning, where it hit me the magnitude of what this truly is. I don't want to make this about me. All glory to God. But it's such a huge deal and an honor. I am ecstatic.
Q: The fact that you are the first African-American head coach at Auburn, what does that mean? To you, to the guys you played with, to these young men on the team now?
A: Honestly, it means the world to me. I had the opportunity to play in the National Football League. That was one of my greatest accomplishments. But getting this opportunity, it has been heavy on me. Because there are so many people that have paved the way for myself to have this opportunity. It's almost unexplainable, like somebody needs to wake me up.
Q: Do you have a sense of how much Auburn is pulling for you and for this team?
A: I honestly got a sense from being a player here, why I chose this place, coming back to be a coach here. Leaving this place, going to the NFL and continuing to see the Auburn Family everywhere you go. How they care, how passionate they are about this place. I know they're on fire. I know they're excited. And I know they're behind this football team. Not just because I'm sitting in this seat. It's Auburn football. It's Auburn. I know they're behind this team, and we're going to have fun with it. These guys are going to play hard.
Inside the Series: Mississippi State
The Tigers hold a 65-28-2 (.695) record all-time against Mississippi State and have won eight of the last 13 matchups against the Bulldogs. Auburn was a 24-10 victor in Starkville in 2020, but Mississippi State won 43-34 in Auburn last season. Before those games, the home team had won eight of the previous 11 contests.
Auburn has a 30-8 advantage in all games played at Auburn, a 14-7-1 lead in all games played at Starkville, and a 21-13-1 advantage in games played at neutral sites.
By the Numbers
484: Auburn has rushed for 484 yards in the last two games against Ole Miss and Arkansas, the most for the Tigers in a two-game SEC span since 2017. Junior tailback Tank Bigsby has racked up 242 yards on the ground over the team's last two games.
105: With 12 tackles in the last two games, Zion Puckett has gone over 100 tackles for his career. The junior safety, who forced his first career fumble against Arkansas, is now one of four current players with 100 career tackles at Auburn, joining teammates Owen Pappoe (230), Colby Wooden (144) and Derick Hall (133).
3: Quarterback Robby Ashford ranks third among all-time Auburn freshman passers with 1,299 passing yards. On Saturday, he moved into 20th among Auburn freshman rushers with 380 yards on the season, passing Shaun Shivers (371; 2018) and Darrell Williams (371; 1989).
9: With two punts over 50 yards in Saturday's game against Arkansas, Oscar Chapman now has nine punts of 50 yards or longer on the season. Chapman currently ranks third in the SEC in average yards per punt (44.2) this season.