Good Morning, Tigers. At 2-4, this wasn’t the start anybody had envisioned for Auburn. But there are still six games remaining, and the bye week allowed the team to heal mentally and physically.

“I feel like after that break we all came together like, ‘OK, we’ve got to have some fun,’” senior edge Jalen McLeod said. “‘We’ve got to have some juice to us.’ That’s what we’re missing— that fun and that juice and the excitement and the passion of the game.’”

The bye week also gave Auburn an extra week to prepare for its next challenge, a road trip to Missouri tomorrow. Auburn has won the last three in the series, including an overtime victory in 2022, but Missouri is 5-1 on the season. 

Read the rest of this week’s The Opening Drive.

Wait until you see what else we have mixed into the Brew today. Check it out below!

⚽️ Auburn Soccer looks to stay red hot in tonight’s match vs. Kentucky
🏈 Three Questions With Eugene Asante
🐅 And much, much more!

🎥 WAREAGLE+: THE FLIGHT

The Flight - Soccer (S. 1, Ep. 1)
Auburn Soccer is off to one of the best starts in program history. Starting with the first day of practice in August, The Flight takes you inside the Tigers’ season, with behind-the-scenes moments of big wins and milestones achieved so far this year. Led by a large and experienced senior class, Auburn is looking to make some noise in the postseason.

🔼 Eyes on the Prize. Auburn soccer takes its four-match unbeaten streak on the road as the No. 11 Tigers trek to Lexington, Kentucky, for a 6:30 p.m. CT match-up tonight with the Wildcats at Bell Soccer Stadium.

Auburn rolls into Lexington riding the momentum of a thrilling 3-2 win last week at Tennessee. With a 12-1-2, 4-1-2 record, Auburn currently sits third in the SEC standings with 14 points. Arkansas and Mississippi State share the top spot at 18 points apiece. With three matches remaining in the regular season, the Tigers have their sights set on a top-four seed and a bye at the 2024 SEC Tournament.

🔼 “We’re Not a Hoops Town,” Said No Auburn Fan Ever. After the slam dunk and shooting contests and before the country music concert, Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl summarized the message Tipoff at Toomer’s sends to college basketball fans.

“Basketball matters in Auburn,” Pearl said while country artist Cole Swindell tuned up for his time on stage. “It’s exciting for the players. This is a huge production. It’s got a brand. Tipoff at Toomer’s, people understand what it’s all about.”

Nearly 10,000 attended the third edition of Tipoff at Toomer’s, the most ambitious yet, which included local live music, shopping, and vendors.

🔼 The Call is Coming From Inside the House. Former Auburn soccer standout and 2021 SEC Defender of the Year Alyssa Malonson was called up to the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team for its slate of October friendlies, U.S. Soccer and head coach Emma Hayes announced Thursday. Malonson is the first Auburn woman to receive an invitation to compete for the full U.S. Women’s National Team.

During her playing career on The Plains, Malonson appeared in and started a school record 97 matches, tallying four goals and 23 assists. In addition to being named the league’s defensive player of the year for her power at the left back position, the Spring, Texas native also earned all-conference honors in 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021. She was also named a United Soccer Coaches All-American in her final season.

🔼 A Bird’s Eye View. Three Questions With LB Eugene Asante 👇🏼

Q: How is the team feeling coming off the bye week?  

A: We had a couple guys beat up, going through the grind of playing football and how gruesome the season truly gets. So, just trying to get our guys back healthy. Trying to get a leg up on Missouri in terms of preparation…

Q: How important is the leadership on this team and keeping some of these young guys locked in? 

A: I want them to experience something this year that I wasn’t able to experience in my years. We can still do that. It really comes from that momentum. I understand that the momentum we build in this latter part of the season can transcend into next year…

Read the full Q&A.

🔼 Riding in On a Horse.

🏆 3X THE IMPACT

Get ready to make history with On To Victory! Running through December 20, every annual subscription to On To Victory will be matched 3:1 by an anonymous donor. Here's how it works:

• You make an annual subscription (e.g., $204)

• Our anonymous donor matches it 3:1

• Your total impact becomes 3x your original donation ($816)! 

That's right - your support now goes three times further in empowering our incredible student-athletes across all sports programs. But wait, there's more! As a special thank you, new members will receive an exclusive mini-poster featuring our star Auburn student-athletes. It's the perfect way to showcase your Auburn pride!

🤔 TIGER TRIVIA

📬 SPREAD THE WORD

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🐅 ONE BIG THING

The Ultimate Freeze Frame. The only thing left to say is, “War Eagle!”

📅 ON THE DOCKET

Friday, Oct. 18
🎾 Women’s Tennis @ ITF W100 Macon
🎾 Men’s Tennis @ ITA Southern Regional Championships
⚽️ Soccer @ Kentucky @ 6:30 p.m. CT | SECN+ | Live Stats

Saturday, Oct. 19
🎾 Women’s Tennis @ ITF W100 Macon
🎾 Men’s Tennis @ ITA Southern Regional Championships
👟 X-Country/Track @ Wisconsin Pre-Nationals @ 10 a.m. CT
🏈 Football @ Missouri @ 11 or 11:45 a.m. CT ESPN or SEC Network | Wear Navy
🐎 Equestrian vs. LMU @ 11 a.m. CT
🥎 Softball vs. Northwest Florida State College @ 1 p.m. CT

Sunday, Oct. 20
🎾 Women’s Tennis @ ITF W100 Macon
🎾 Men’s Tennis @ ITA Southern Regional Championships
🏐 Volleyball @ Tennessee @ 1 p.m. CT |
⛳️ Men’s Golf @ The Williams Cup (R1)
🥎 Softball vs. Georgia Southern @ 2 p.m. CT

🐅 Go here to view the entire Auburn Athletics Calendar

🎉TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Furman!

Preseason No. 11-ranked Auburn has added a charity exhibition game at Furman on Sunday, Oct. 27, at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. Tipoff between the Tigers and Paladins is set for noon CT / 1 p.m. ET.

🐅 It’s Friday, y’all!