Unranked and unfazed: Auburn refuses to flinch in 27-24 victory over No. 1 Georgia
Auburn didn’t flinch when facing a 14-point deficit on the road to No. 1 Georgia Saturday night.
Instead, the Tigers rose to the occasion and rallied for one of the more stunning upsets in recent years, defeating Georgia 27-24 in Athens. However, it’s just a starting point for head coach Alex Golesh and where he envisions the program under his leadership.
“I just want to get this program, and I think we all want to get this program back to where you expect to come in and win these games,” Golesh said. “That's why we came here. That's why we chose Auburn. That's why these guys chose Auburn not to just wear an AU on their helmet, but to stand on the shoulders of guys that texted me this week.”
Former players such as Takeo Spikes, Jason Campbell, Ronnie Brown and Bo Jackson all reached out to Golesh earlier this week. However, no message resonated more than the one from his son, Barrett, on Thursday night.
“He just said 'Can I come down on the field after we win?” Golesh said.
And sure enough, as Alex McPherson hit the game-winning field goal and Golesh crossed the field to shake hands with Kirby Smart, Barrett was by his side.
“Sometimes it takes a 12-year-old to believe, you know?” Golesh said.
Auburn entered the game unranked. Twenty-point underdogs. And even then, trailing 14-0 in the first quarter, Auburn remained unfazed.
“There wasn’t any pouting on the sidelines or pointing fingers,” said offensive lineman Cole Best. “It was like ‘Good. Let’s go back out there and answer.’ The offense answers, the defense gets us the ball back, we tie it up and then we go up three before going into halftime. It was awesome.”
That’s what Auburn football is supposed to look like under Golesh, according to quarterback Byrum Brown.
“It's just a testament to buying into the process, putting your head down, go to work, and not being result-driven, be process-driven,” Brown said. “That's what he's been preaching since he's been here. And I think us as an Auburn football team is truly buying into that.”
Instead of approaching the game as a three-and-a-half hour battle, Golesh told his team Friday night to approach it as a series of six to eight second snaps.
“Six to eight second one-on-one battles, play more violent and tougher and more detailed than the guy across from you,” Golesh said. “One play at a time, you'll get the result you want. I think it's just a lesson for our guys, for our fan base.”
Similar to his philosophy of playing one snap at a time, he’s focused on one game at a time. Take the win against Georgia. Enjoy the victory. And when Sunday morning rolls around, you’re on to the next.
“We wake up in the morning and we gotta get ready for LSU,” Golesh said. “So that's why I don't want to make it bigger or smaller than what it is. But we're gonna build it to where hopefully the next generation expects to win that game.”
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
