Auburn’s home opener won’t get underway on time.
Lightning has been spotted within an eight-mile radius on the Plains, triggering at least a 30-minute delay and pushing back the Tigers’ planned 6:45 p.m. Central kickoff. Around 6:20 p.m., the Auburn PA announcer warned fans to take shelter until the weather moved out of the area.
That means Alex Golesh’s first kickoff as Auburn’s head coach will have to wait, and not just for the weather delay. Once the lightning clears, there will still be a warm-up period before the teams can finally take the field.
The postponement comes with Auburn trying to build more momentum before SEC play begins next week. Florida, in the first season under Jon Sumrall, is up next at Jordan-Hare Stadium in what is expected to be one of the most important games on Auburn’s schedule.
For now, though, Southern Miss is the opponent in front of them, and the Golden Eagles arrive with confidence after a 49-3 win over Alcorn State in their season opener.
Saturday night also carries a long list of firsts for Auburn. The Tigers are set to unveil a wave of transfers in their first home game under Golesh, including quarterback Byrum Brown. Brown is coming off a game against Baylor in which he threw three interceptions, a career high in his college career.
A number of former USF offensive linemen and wide receivers also joined Golesh at Auburn in 2026, part of an effort to give the Tigers’ offense a fresh look. On the other side of the ball, defensive coordinator DJ Durkin’s unit was the story of Auburn’s 2025 season, and the Tigers will be aiming for more balance as they move toward SEC play.
For now, everyone waits. A later kickoff is expected once the lightning clears the area, and a new start time will be announced after the delay ends.
In Other News...
Byrum Browns Unusual Auburn TD Was No Fluke
Byrum Browns night against Southern Miss was packed with the kind of production Auburn will happily take every week, from 319 yards of total offense to three touchdowns in a 43-8 win. But the play everyone kept coming back to was the one that looked almost too unusual to be part of a normal game plan: Brown hauling in a touchdown pass on fourth-and-3, a catch that doubled as his first reception in two seasons and Auburns first quarterback touchdown reception since 2012.
There was nothing gimmicky about it, at least in Alex Goleshs view, who said the call was routine for that situation. Brown, for his part, framed it in the most practical terms possible, stressing the need to do whatever it takes to score. For Auburn, the bigger takeaway is that the Tigers have a quarterback who can create answers in more than one way, even if one of them looks rare enough to stand out long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Is 2-0 But Alex Golesh Sees A Bigger Problem
Auburn is 2-0 under Alex Golesh after a 43-8 win over Southern Miss, and the Tigers have shown signs of progress on both sides of the ball. The running game and passing game were cleaner than they had been in the opener, giving Auburn a more balanced look and a little momentum heading into a tougher stretch.
Still, Golesh was quick to frame the outing as sloppy rather than satisfying, a reminder that the scoreboard does not erase the mistakes that pile up over four quarters. Auburn has some fine-tuning to do with conference play looming, and the urgency in Goleshs tone made it clear the Tigers cant afford to let the better moments cover for the things still breaking down. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Ground Surge Feels Real But One Bigger Test Still Awaits
Auburn left the Southern Miss game with a rushing performance that looked a lot more like what this offense wants to be. The Tigers averaged 6.7 yards per carry and piled up 343 rushing yards, with Alex Golesh leaning on a balanced ground effort that included Omar Mabson II, Jeremiah Cobb and Byrum Brown. Even with penalties wiping out some gains, the overall picture was better than what Auburn had been putting on tape, and it gave the run game a tangible step forward.
The question now is whether that surge holds up once the competition sharpens and the pressure turns up on the offensive line. Auburn still wants cleaner, more consistent execution in the run game, and the coming weeks should bring a real look at how much of this improvement is sustainable. For a unit still sorting out its identity up front, the next few games may say more than one encouraging afternoon ever could. [Read more 🡒]