Over the past three seasons, few things have been more maddening for Auburn fans than the Tigers’ repeated inability to close out tight games. Whether it’s missed opportunities, late-game miscues, or just getting out-executed in crunch time, the numbers paint a frustrating picture: since 2023, Auburn is just 3-14 in games decided by 10 points or fewer.
This past season alone? 1-6, with the lone win coming against a struggling Arkansas squad.
That’s the kind of stat that doesn’t just sting - it defines seasons. And for new head coach Alex Golesh, it’s one of the first and most urgent issues on his to-fix list. But he’s not waiting until the Tigers hit the field next fall to start addressing it.
“The mindset that has to be built, the level of accountability that trains discipline within a program, is what prepares you for the fourth quarter,” Golesh said during his introductory press conference. “You have to train it.
We’re going to train the fourth quarter part of what we do, starting the very first second that we start in January with our guys. And it starts with winter workouts.”
That’s not just coach-speak - it’s a clear signal that Golesh understands the fine margins that separate winning and losing in the SEC. Because for Auburn, the 2025 season was a masterclass in being on the wrong side of those margins.
During a four-game skid in the heart of the season, the Tigers dropped every contest by 10 points or fewer - including a heartbreaking overtime loss at home to Missouri. Even after notching a win over Arkansas, the Tigers followed it up with a 10-3 loss to a Kentucky team that, at the time, hadn’t won a single SEC game. That defeat effectively sealed the end of the Hugh Freeze era, but the pain didn’t stop there.
Auburn closed the season with two more gut-punch losses - an overtime defeat at Vanderbilt, and a seven-point loss at home to Alabama. That’s how seasons unravel.
That’s how bowl hopes slip away. And that’s how programs find themselves hitting the reset button.
Now, it’s Golesh’s turn to rebuild not just the roster or the playbook - but the mindset.
“There’s certain things and margins that you’ve got to be able to go get,” Golesh said. “Finishing in the fourth quarter is a mindset.
The game is still a one-on-one game. You’ve got to want it more than the other guy, and you’ve got to train it.
We’ve got to train it better than anybody in the country.”
That’s the challenge ahead: turning those one-score heartbreaks into hard-earned wins. Golesh is betting that it starts not under the lights on a Saturday night, but in the dead of winter - when nobody’s watching, but everything is being built.