It took Alex Golesh six games to win his marquee game as head coach of the Auburn Tigers, taking down No. 1 Georgia 27-24 to shock the entire college football world.
Of course, it means that there were some important things to say after doing so. Golesh had plenty of memorable moments after the game, including a celebration with his son while being interviewed.
Here are five important things that he brought up after the game.
“We’ve continued to talk about that being as big of a tell to winning, as big of a key to winning.”
A key in any football game, which determines the needle of the game, is the turnover margin. This is what Golesh is referring to, and it was one the main reasons the Tigers left Athens with a win on Saturday afternoon.
Auburn won the turnover margin 3-0, playing clean on the offensive side of the ball while forcing three turnovers on Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton to slow down the high-octane Bulldog offense.
Newboy Fegans and Elijah Melendez were the two who picked off Stockton, being the first game of his collegiate career that he’s thrown multiple interceptions. In the fourth quarter during a pivotal drive, Cody Sigler forced a fumble on Stockton, with safety Sylvester Smith-Reed falling on it for the biggest play of the game.
That’s the type of defense DJ Durkin has preached, and he got it on Saturday.
“I thought that group handled the crowd noise after not handling it two weeks ago. We had one false start. They just found a way.”
Golesh was proud of his offensive line, who created some run lanes for quarterback Byrum Brown and the running back room to end up outrunning the Bulldogs in their own building.
Outrunning Georgia 192-113, Auburn was able to control the time of possession, which is enough to gain a hold the game in an away environment. Like what Golesh alluded to, the group was also able to weather the storm in a hostile environment with barking fans.
It’s optimistic, although Brown was sacked five times in the win, but it’s a positive takeaway that gave Auburn enough time to go out and make plays at Sanford Stadium.
“If you think about it, that it’s a three-and-a-half hour dog fight, nobody’s going to give you a chance. But if you think about it as a series of 6-8 second snaps, and 6-8 second one-on-one battles, you can play more violent and tougher and more detailed than the guy across from you.”
Going into a matchup with the No. 1 team in the country is intimidating, let alone the fact that Georgia was coming off of one of the biggest wins of the season at Alabama a week ago.
During Auburn’s process this past week, it was all about focusing on one thing at a time, and if the Tigers were able to win a play, the next one was the immediate focus.
Even when they went down two scores on the first two drives, Golesh used that mindset to weather the storm, eventually scoring 24 unanswered points before a late Georgia comeback. Once again, that will be the key against LSU next week, and if Auburn can slow it down again, it could put the Bayou Bengals on upset watch away from home.
“The thing I’m most proud of that group, specifically halftime and then obviously the end of the game, is that they didn’t flinch.”
Most know that Georgia is a team that can use the accelerator to take away leads and make games ugly. Golesh said his group didn’t wince at that.
Even when the Bulldogs tied the game at the 2:58 mark of the fourth quarter, and the sputtered offensive drive following it, the Tigers responded, forcing the Stockton fumble and getting it going offensively enough for kicker Alex McPherson to set the stage for the game-winning field goal.
It’s a mentality that’s tough to teach, which shows how tightly-knit the group is, and how ready they were for the challenge coming out of the open date.
“The key is, and I said this last week, good win, bad loss, they’re all the same, because on Sunday, you have to reset and turn the page or it’ll carry over into the next one.”
After the celebrations on Saturday, the refocus will be quick to begin next week. Auburn has its only home opponent in the month of October next weekend, and it’s a big one.
No. 18 LSU and Lane Kiffin come to the Plains next Saturday afternoon, coming off of a standout win of their own over Missisippi State at home. Golesh wants to use the momentum gained between the hedges in the right way, not in a manner that creates a hangover at Jordan-Hare Stadium next Saturday.
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. Central from the Plains, with the game to be broadcast on ABC.
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