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WATCH: Cadillac Williams declares Auburn football 'ain't dead' in stirring interview after first win as interim HC

On3 imageby:Andrew Graham•11/12/22•

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AUBURN, ALABAMA - NOVEMBER 12: Interim head coach Carnell Williams of the Auburn Tigers celebrates after defeating the Texas A&M Aggies at Jordan-Hare Stadium on November 12, 2022 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)

It’s been a season of nightmares for Auburn, flailing for most of the season under a head coach — Bryan Harsin — that most (correctly) assumed would be fired before the end of the year. But at least for a magical few hours on Saturday night, the Tigers reminded the college football world what it can be and showed just how fast interim head coach Carnell ‘Cadillac’ Williams has jolted his alma mater back into gear.

Granted, Auburn picked up the first win of the Cadillac Williams era — however long it may run — against a woeful Texas A&M team, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t good reason for relief, joy and most important of all: Hope.

“It’s like a big family,” Williams said to SEC Network’s Cole Cubelic after the win. “My former teammates, my family here. I mean, players. I mean — look at this! Who don’t wanna come to Auburn? Look, man, Auburn football’s gonna be OK. It ain’t dead, baby. It ain’t dead. We comin’.”

And while normally, a matchup of two three-win SEC West teams that don’t feature particularly exciting brands of football might’ve drawn a lesser crowd, Jordan-Hare Stadium was oozing with energy on Saturday evening.

Cubelic asked Williams how he breathed such life into a team that has, frankly, struggled to play well all year long.

“These kids, this staff, I mean people around the building, the Auburn family, these kids need to be loved. Need to be loved on. With the discipline. They need to know it’s OK to make mistakes,” Williams said. “They gone fall, but us coaches going to be there to pick ’em back up. And regardless, we’ve got their back. They had to open their hearts, and that’s all they did, to be honest with you.” 

And for all the revelry — and there was plenty, including Williams going to hype up the student section after his first win coaching his alma mater — the Tigers still have two more games to play.

Williams is going to enjoy this one and let his players soak it in, as well, but they’ve still got Western Kentucky and the Iron Bowl to go. And if they win both? Well, then Auburn would be bowl eligible.

“Look, we have two more games. So we gone enjoy this one tonight, we gone flush it, and then we gone prepare man. We’re enjoying the journey together,” Williams said. “And we’re writing our history and what we want the 2022 team to be like, man. We gone finish.”