Auburn’s season opener against Baylor is only 12 days away, meaning there is a limited amount of time for the Tigers to prepare for what the Bears will throw at them on Sept. 5 in Atlanta.
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On Sunday though, after two-and-a-half weeks of a grueling preseason camp, Auburn turned its attention to the Bears, trying to formulate a plan for what is to come once the game comes.
“Week one is always unique, especially if there’s coaching changes,” Golesh said. “Week one is always an interesting chess match because you’ve got multiple things you’re looking at, you’re trying to guess a lot. That’s what makes it kind of unique.”
The Tigers took Baylor down in Waco, Texas in 2025 with a 38-24 victory, powered by an electric rushing performance and a key kickoff return for a touchdown by Rayshawn Pleasant.
This year is a whole new ball game with a lot of moving parts, including a number of new players on both sides of the field.
Looking offensively, the Bears ranked third in the Big 12 in average total yards per game last year with 451.1. That placed them behind only Utah and Texas Tech.
Baylor now has a new starting quarterback in Florida transfer DJ Lagway, who while he had some turnover concerns in 2025, delivered lethal potential on the ground.
“(Lagway) was in this league, at his best, as good of a quarterback as there is in the country,” Golesh said. “That’s what we’re prepared for defensively—an offense that a year ago, once they got going, tempo you, which I feel like we’re at least prepared for in that regard, but explosive throughout the year.”
On the defensive side of the football, the Bears struggled overall, finishing 15th in the Big 12 in points given up per game at 32.6. The only team behind them was Oklahoma State at 33.3.
In 2026, Baylor brings in Joe Klanderman as its defensive coordinator from Kansas State, where he helped the Wildcats to win the 2022 Big 12 title. Combine that with the fact that Dave Aranda was the defensive coordinator at LSU before arriving in Waco, and there are two quality defensive minds in key leadership roles.
“Defensively, a coaching change with the defensive coordinator coming in from Kansas State,” Golesh said. “Obviously, Coach Aranda has made a name as a defensive guy for a really long time in this league and around the country. We’re going to try to work through what that’s going to look like and that’ll present some challenges in itself.”
The biggest thing Auburn is preparing for though is the players it is having to search to find film for. The Bears welcomed 32 transfers over the offseason, making it a lot of new talent joining the field.
So while Golesh is getting a preparation routine ready for his players, preparing for the transfers is a tall task.
“Very much some unknowns, and that’s the probably the biggest challenge,” Golesh said. “You’re trying to do what you do while still being prepared for the unknown.”
However, there still is some constant, and that is where having someone who knows the program itself is helpful.
Tigers running back Bryson Washington transferred in from Baylor after carrying the ball 154 times for 788 yards and six touchdowns in 2025. Against Auburn last year, he carried the ball 14 times for 54 yards.
He knows the Bears squad better than most in the program, so it’s only a matter of time to see how he’s utilized as the game against his former team nears.
(Washington is) just working on making sure he’s ready to rock and roll,” Golesh said. “He had a great game against Auburn a year ago and had two really, really good seasons there. We’ll certainly pick his brain and see what he’s got. I know he’s excited for the game a lot.”
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
