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What it takes to get Auburn’s Pat Dye Field ready for game day — Auburn University’s Eric Kleypas oversees the university’s athletic fields + practice fields, along with landscape maintenance around athletic facilities. (Ben Johnson / Bham Now)

When Auburn kicks off on game day, thousands of eyes will be on the players, the scoreboard and the action. Few will be thinking about the grass—but someone has to.

At Auburn University, that work starts with the Turfgrass Management team, and it’s a perfect example of how Auburn’s College of Agriculture students can take what they learn in the classroom and put it into practice on one of college football’s biggest stages.

We caught up with Eric Kleypas, Auburn’s Director of Athletic Turf & Grounds, to get the inside scoop on what goes into preparing Pat Dye Field for game day, from its unusual slope to a few buried pieces of Auburn history.