When Auburn Tigers Head Coach Alex Golesh walked into the home locker room at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sept. 5 after his team’s win, he was sure happy about walking out with a win.
However, there was a lot that he felt the team needed to work on, and that there was a lot of development to be had in the few practices leading up to a meeting with Southern Miss on Sept. 12.
One of the biggest defining moments of a football season is how a team develops within the first month of the season, and certainly between the first two games.
Sometimes, the strength of opponents can be drastic, but no matter what, Golesh still holds the same opinion on development regardless.
“I think really good football teams get better as it goes,” Golesh said. “I think the level of competition has a lot to do with that, too. It's funky early in the college football season. You see it all over the place. There's some teams that are playing really good teams. There's some teams that are playing not as good of teams. I think that part's a little bit funky.”
The Tigers put on a mock game week in the week before the Baylor game, simulating how each day will go for the program and what the preparation will look like.
This week, Auburn does not have that, which creates a true test for how the team will come into form.
“I think that stuff certainly gets better from week 1 to week 2,” Golesh said. “I think in terms of, if we're going to be a really good football team, you truly have to continue to get better. Your rhythm gets better. You're more in sync. You miss less tackles. You get aligned quicker. Coaches get a better rhythm.”
Golesh understands that this week might be a little bit different than it is later in the season, as as a team, the Tigers have not done this before until now.
When all of the aspects of the preparation add up, there is a lot that goes into what happens, which can build up a level of emotional tension in the players.
“You've got to remember, even the lead-up to the game, there's a level of anxiety that goes with it when you haven't done it,” Golesh said. “Just making sure I'm wearing the right stuff, I'm on time. All the little things that you don't think about, but there's a level of anxiety.”
Once Auburn gets past this week, Golesh expects that the rhythm will get better as the season rolls along.
Golesh knows though at the same time that if this team wants to build respect and high caliber around the league, everybody will have to constantly be on an incline, getting better in every aspect and not taking a step back.
“Once you get into a routine and you've done it—like, this is our first night game,” Golesh said. “Now we have an extended day on Saturday. That'll be different for everybody. I think in that respect, you do get better. But really good football teams, you've got to continuously get better as the year goes.”
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
