Auburn Football's Home Opener Delayed Due to Lightning. What We Know

The Auburn Tigers will have to wait to get started with their home slate for the foreseeable future with a delay in place.

Lightning has been detected in an eight-mile radius on the Plains, meaning there will be at least a 30-minute delay until the inclement weather is away from the area. This means that Auburn’s start time at 6:45 p.m. central will not be happening.

Update: Auburn and Southern Miss will kick off at 7:48 p.m. Central Time. Auburn staffers are now taking the field and will get ready to go as long as there are no more lightning strikes in the area.

Around 6:20 p.m., the Auburn PA announcer sent out the warning, telling fans to take shelter until the weather passes. With under 30 minutes until the game was intended to kick off, head coach Alex Golesh will have to wait to begin his first kickoff with the Tigers on Saturday night.

Now, he will have to wait at least 30 minutes, as well as a warm-up period, before kicking off.

The Tigers are looking to pick up even more momentum before beginning SEC play next week, playing a Florida team that has started 2026 strong in the first season under Jon Sumrall. That game will also take place at Jordan-Hare Stadium in what is thought of as one of the most important games of Auburn’s season.

But first, Golesh will have to worry about a Southern Miss opponent that took care of business in its first game of the season against Alcorn State. The Golden Eagles dominated their opponent in a 49-3 game to generate some momentum heading to Auburn tonight.

The game will feature plenty of firsts, including the home debuts of a plethora of transfers that the Tigers brought in for the first season under Golesh. That includes quarterback Byrum Brown, who will look to bounce back from a game against Baylor where he threw three interceptions, a career-high in his collegiate career.

A handful of offensive line and wide receivers from USF also joined Golesh on the Plains in 2026, looking to revitalize the Auburn offense of old. While defensive coordinator DJ Durkin’s group was the story of the 2025 season, the Tigers will look to play complementary to build into SEC play for the remainder of the week.

For now, the Tigers will have to wait until the weather subsides. Expect a later kickoff coming to the Plains in at least an hour.

Auburn Tigers on SI will remain updated with every weather update over the course of the next hour or so. A new kickoff time will be announced when the lightning is away from the area.

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