Jack Floyd and Hewitt-Trussville Stuns Auburn 56-42 in 2026 Opener
AUBURN, AL – The lightning came, then the rain, then the reckoning. And by the time the final horn sounded at Duck Samford Stadium — nearly four hours after kickoff, with only a scattering of fans left in the wet bleachers — Hewitt-Trussville had turned a season opener into a statement no one could ignore.
The Huskies, snubbed from the Class 6A preseason top 10 for the first time in years, marched into Auburn on Aug. 21, 2026, and dismantled the third-ranked Tigers 56-42. In the first-ever meeting between the two programs, one team looked overlooked and the other looked untouchable. It was the overlooked one leaving the field grinning.
First Half Action
The Huskies did not ease into the night. They detonated.
Five minutes in, before the crowd had even settled, Hewitt-Trussville already led 14-0. The stands were still filling on both sidelines, fans shuffling to their seats, and the scoreboard was already tilting. From that opening surge, the Huskies never trailed.
Auburn refused to fold. Quarterback Cason Myers answered fire with fire, and the two offenses traded haymakers like heavyweights unwilling to blink. Hewitt-Trussville edged the first quarter 21-14, then poured on another 21 in the second. By halftime, the visitors held a 42-28 lead and the game had the feel of a track meet dressed up in shoulder pads.
Then the sky intervened. Lightning forced delay after delay, stretching the evening into a marathon. Rain swept in during the fourth quarter, slicking the turf and soaking the sidelines. But nothing — not the weather, not the waiting — cooled the two offenses. The points kept coming.
Key Turning Points
At the center of the storm stood a sophomore.
Jack Floyd played the game like he owned it. He carved up Auburn’s secondary through the air and burst through its front on the ground, touching nearly every scoring drive the Huskies put together. Every touchdown but one carried his fingerprints.
That single exception may have been the loudest moment of the night. Senior linebacker Harrison Malone read Myers’ eyes, jumped the route and snatched the ball out of the air. Fifty yards later, he was in the end zone. A pick-6 to pair with the offensive fireworks — the kind of swing that drains the fight out of a home crowd.
Auburn hung close entering the fourth quarter, still within striking distance. Then Hewitt-Trussville pulled the rope tight, stretching the lead to 56-35 before the Tigers added a meaningless late score in front of a stadium that had mostly emptied.
One number captured the chaos better than any highlight: the entire game featured just one punt. Every other possession ended in a touchdown, a lost fumble or an interception. This was football stripped of caution — all gas, no brakes.
Standout Performances
Floyd delivered a debut for the ages. The sophomore, son of Hewitt-Trussville coach Josh Floyd, completed 22 of 26 passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns, then added 193 rushing yards and four more scores on 19 carries. That is 532 total yards and seven touchdowns — a night that will headline the state’s leaderboards for weeks. What stood out most was the precision: 26 throws, 22 completions, almost nothing wasted.
Malone anchored a defense that bent often but delivered when it counted, his 50-yard interception return the single biggest play of the game.
Auburn walked away beaten but not embarrassed. Myers proved every bit the dual threat, finishing 19 of 27 for 286 yards and a touchdown while adding 79 yards and two scores on the ground across 19 carries. Three interceptions haunted him, but his arm and legs kept the Tigers within reach deep into the night. Receiver Jaquez Johnson led the way with four catches for 87 yards and a score.
The final tally read like a duel: 607 total yards for Hewitt-Trussville, 480 for Auburn. Two loaded offenses, one clear winner.
Final Outlook
Hewitt-Trussville (1-0) rides the momentum home, hosting Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa next Friday in its home opener. The road ahead offers no soft landing, with Hoover, Tuscaloosa County, Prattville, Oak Mountain, Thompson, Vestavia Hills, Spain Park and Pike Road still on the slate.
Auburn (0-1), a 10-3 team a season ago, packs its bags again for an out-of-state trip to face Choctawhatchee, FL, before returning home to a schedule that includes Opelika, Central, Enterprise and Saraland. The Tigers have every reason to believe the opener was a fluke born of a strange, storm-tossed night.
But for a few unforgettable hours under the lightning and rain, the field belonged to the Huskies — and to a sophomore quarterback who announced himself to the entire state.
