Auburn players and coaches greet fans after practice

Auburn coach Gene Chizik, Auburn Student Government Association President Owen Parrish and cornerback T’Sharvan Bell spoke to the crowd of several hundred students and fans.

“This means a lot to every guy standing behind me so I just want to say thank you so much,” Chizik said. “This is what the Auburn Family is all about and we appreciate it, we love you guys and we’re going to play our butt off Saturday night.”

Parrish issued a mass email on behalf of SGA to other student organizations and the Auburn Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday afternoon urging students and fans to support the team Thursday night. Neither SGA’s email or a statement issued by Auburn President Jay Gogue on Thursday made any mention of Chizik or athletic director Jay Jacobs.

“Not all of the seasons are always the best but we’re happy to be here and we’re still proud to be Auburn Tigers,” said Parrish, a senior majoring in civil engineering. “We as a student body are still supportive of our coaches and our staff and proud to be Auburn Tigers.”