When Auburn kicker Alex McPherson put the Tigers’ game-winning field goal through the uprights against No. 1 Georgia, there was someone special that celebrated with head coach Alex Golesh as he walked to the middle of the field postgame.
It was his son, Bear, who was the only family member to make the trip to Athens on Saturday afternoon. He also called his shot about the game earlier in the week.
“Bear said, ‘Dad, can I get on the field after we win?’” Golesh recalled on the broadcast.
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) October 17, 2026
The win was an emotional one for Golesh, who saw the accumulation of a 10-month process lead to the biggest win the program has had, arguably, since the College Football Playoff era began over 10 years ago. His wife and daughter were back home due to it being homecoming weekend.
But even when most didn’t believe that Auburn could do what it did on Saturday, its program’s head coach had a glimmer of hope from his own son.
“It’s pretty cool to share that with him. That’s a special cat, too,” he said. “I don’t mean to get too emotional about it, I’m just happy for everyone involved.”
Golesh shared a personal anecdote from Thursday night, when Bear was chewed out because he went to bed an hour late than usual because he wanted to watch his father game plan for the Bulldogs. The following morning, he was yelled at for not making his bed.
But even after that, it’s when he asked the Auburn head coach to go to the game to watch the team win. There weren’t many people to believe in a team that was a multiple-touchdown underdog against the No. 1 team in the country.
It’s a special belief, though, and it led to the special moment on the field.
“Sometimes it takes a 12-year-old to believe, you know?” Golesh said after the game.
Saturday’s win was a needle-changing victory for the future of the program. Auburn was in the heart of one of the toughest months on the schedule, playing four top-25 teams from the SEC with three of the games being away from Jordan-Hare Stadium.
After the win, the Tigers are 4-2 and took down the two-time reigning champion of the conference, let alone in their own building. For Auburn, though, it’s simply another game that moves the program into the direction Golesh wants.
“Again, it’s not about me and it never will be, but pretty cool when a 12-year-old believes, you know what I mean?”
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