With statewide bragging rights on the line in Week 3 of the college football season, athletes with ties to Baldwin County will be on display as their schools fight for supremacy in their state.

The Samford Bulldogs will clash with the Auburn Tigers before the TCU Horned Frogs and Houston Cougars, as well as the New Mexico State Aggies and New Mexico Lobos, kickoff heated in-state rivalries.

Local players will also be featured in games between the Kansas State Wildcats and Missouri Tigers, Utah State Aggies and Air Force Falcons, Alabama Crimson Tide and South Florida Bulls and more.

Follow @GCMSportsAL for immediate updates from the sidelines and stay tuned to gulfcoastmedia.com/sports for full coverage.

Samford Bulldogs (2-0) at Auburn Tigers (2-0): Saturday, Sept. 16, 6 p.m.

In 29 meetings, Auburn has never lost to Samford with a 28-0-1 record where the teams will meet for the first time since 2019.

The 2023 meeting will feature a few Baldwin County natives where Spanish Fort’s DJ James will suit up for the Tigers opposite Daphne’s Midnight Steward and Foley’s Forrest Taylor who will don Bulldog colors. James and Steward patrol the defensive backfields for their respective teams and Taylor serves as a kicker.

In his season debut against Cal last week, James collected 5 tackles at cornerback on top of the game-sealing interception in the end zone to secure a 14-10 win on the West Coast.

Through two games this season, Steward has registered 7 total tackles and as well as 0.5 tackles for a loss of 2 yards at safety. Last season, the former Trojan logged 20 tackles, 1 interception and 2 pass breakups to help Samford win the Southern Conference.

Saturday will be the Tigers’ homecoming game where they own an 84-8-4 record on such days including a 31-homecoming-game winning streak according to Auburn’s Sports Information Department. Against 12 in-state schools, the Tigers own a 98-54-2 record over Alabamian opponents including Alabama, UAB, Alabama State, Alabama A&M, Birmingham Southern, Camp Sheridan, Marion Institute, Maxwell Field, Montgomery, North Alabama A.C., Samford and Spring Hill.

Auburn is also 5-1 all-time in games played on Sept. 16, including a 4-0 mark on The Plains.

No. 15 Kansas State Wildcats (2-0) at Missouri Tigers (2-0): Saturday, Sept. 16, 11 a.m.

Kris Abrams-Draine, a Spanish Fort alum now suiting up for Missouri, is on milestone watch as he approaches 100 career tackles with the Tigers. Through 27 career games, Abrams-Draine has racked up 93 total tackles between 71 solos and 22 assists following a pair of 4-tackle performances to start this season.

He and his teammates from Missouri will be searching for an upset of 15th-ranked Kansas State which would add to its existing 60-32-5 lead in the all-time series. The teams first met in 1909 but haven’t seen each other since 2011 when the Wildcats won 24-17.

TCU Horned Frogs (1-1) at Houston Cougars (1-1): Saturday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m.

The next chapter of this Texas rivalry will come as Big 12 Conference foes after Houston joined the group entering this season.

Daphne’s Trent Battle is in his sophomore year with TCU after he appeared in the National Championship game at the end of last season. Orange Beach’s Chris Pearson is a true freshman with Houston after he was an early enrollee in January.

The Horned Frogs and Cougars have not met since the 2007 Texas Bowl but played annually from 1976-95 then again from 2001-04. While TCU has won the last eight matchups in a row, Houston will be searching for its first victory in the series since Oct. 31, 1992, with a 13-12 edge in the all-time series.

New Mexico State Aggies (1-2) at New Mexico Lobos (1-1): Saturday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m.

Jeremiah Hixon, another former Spanish Fort Toro, recently reached a century milestone when he surpassed 100 career receptions in New Mexico’s season-opening loss to Texas A&M.

After 97 receptions with 11 touchdowns and 1,211 receiving yards as an Alabama State Hornet, Hixon’s 6-catch effort in the first game of the season pushed his total to 103 career receptions according to the Lobos’ Sports Information Department.

Hixon and the New Mexico offense will look to add onto its 73-34-3 all-time lead in the series against New Mexico State in the 89th playing of the Rio Grande Rivalry Game. The Aggies won last year’s meeting to snap a three-game skid. However, the Lobos are 4-4 overall in games played on Sept. 16, including two wins over New Mexico State.

More Week 3 matchups with Baldwin County connections

Utah State Aggies (1-1) at Air Force Falcons (2-0): Friday, Sept. 15, 6 p.m.

Fairhope alum Luke Freer punted 4 times for 175 yards in Air Force’s 13-3 win over Sam Houston State last week. Two punts landed inside the 20-yard line and Freer’s longest of the day went 52 yards.

Trinity Tigers (1-1) at Birmingham Southern Panthers (1-1): Saturday, Sept. 16, 11 a.m.

Bayside Academy’s Mac Douglas and his Trinity teammates will make the trip from Texas to take on St. Michael alumni Austin Maloney and Luke Edmiston along with their Birmingham Southern teammates.

Douglas has logged 76 total tackles, including 8.5 for 30 yards of loss, in 16 games over 3 seasons with Trinity to go along with 4.5 sacks for a total loss of 20 yards.

Tulane Green Wave (1-1) at Southern Miss Golden Eagles (1-1): Saturday, Sept. 16, 3 p.m.

The 45th anniversary of the first Battle for the Bell will have a local graduate on either side as Tulane and Southern Miss meet in Hattiesburg.

Green Wave kicker Bobby Noel is a member of Gulf Shores’ Class of 2021 and Golden Eagle receiver Tiaquelin “Ty” Mims graduated from Baldwin County with the Class of 2022. Noel nailed his lone collegiate field goal as a true freshman and Mims finished his true-freshman season with 15 receptions for 213 yards and a touchdown in the Lending Tree Bowl.