ATHENS, Ga. — The state of college football tends to separate players from head coaches when transfers happen. That wasn’t the case with Auburn head coach Alex Golesh and his quarterback, Byrum Brown.
After the win against No. 1 Georgia, it was fully on display.
The two embraced after the game, showing a moment of belief while the rest of the world doubted Auburn’s chances to leave Sanford Stadium with a win on Saturday. However, with the way that Golesh watches his quarterback go about his preparation, he knew he was ready for the big moment.
He told him that he set himself up for it in the win.
“‘I know you’ve been through it,’” Golesh told Brown. “‘You’re here because you are one tough, smart human being that is right here, right now, in this moment, like, ready for this.’”
When Golesh left Tennessee to become USF’s head coach, he called on Brown to be the team’s starter. He was just a sophomore, but the two ended up leading the Bulls to one of the most productive offenses in the country by the time Golesh left for the Plains.
He didn’t leave without his quarterback, though, looking for big moments like the ones USF had against a ranked Florida team last season. Now, it’s an even bigger moment, and Golesh said Brown just needed to trust what got him there.
“‘Being you is enough. People can write, say whatever, like just be you, man,” he told him, “and he’s continued to improve.”
Brown finished the game with 115 rushing yards, 150 passing yards and two total touchdowns; one on the ground and one through the air. At the end of the game, the Raleigh, North Carolina, native made some important plays with his feet, taking the Tigers across midfield and leading to the 34-yard game-winning kick by Alex McPherson.
The Auburn quarterback was quick to credit his teammates as well, saying that’s the vision that Golesh wanted when he became head coach at the end of last year.
“That’s Auburn football. We’re going to play collectively, play as a unit, play as a team,” Brown said. “Probably one of the most connected teams I’ve ever been on, so it was no heads down, everyone was just, ‘Let’s make a play.’”
The Tigers didn’t have that signature win all season before Saturday, and although they had wins throughout the year, nothing was as sweet as beating the No. 1 team in the country on their own field.
However, Golesh preaches that results won’t happen themselves; it’s how each day betters each player for that moment when it happens.
“It’s just a testament to just buying into the process,” Brown said. “Just putting your head down, go to work, and not being result-driven; be process-driven, and that’s what he’s been preaching since he’s been here.”
However, the two give each other credit for the joy that comes with a win like this.
“He said, ‘Coach, I’m so happy for you,’” Golesh recalled. “I’m like, ‘No man, I’m happy for you, like this ain’t about me,’ and he’ll tell you it ain’t about him.”
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