Auburn’s 17-16 escape against Baylor did not calm the nerves around Byrum Brown. If anything, it opened the door wider for the second-guessing.
The Tigers are 1-0, but the mood around the win is split. Some fans saw the late comeback and the result. Others saw three interceptions from Brown, a shaky debut under new coach Alex Golesh and enough offensive frustration to have people wondering whether Auburn already has a quarterback problem.
That concern showed up fast in the mailbag.
Jim argued that Auburn is “worse off,” saying the idea that Indiana’s Curt Cignetti could work that kind of magic was never realistic. He also pointed to the usual warning that players moving up from a lower division will struggle in the SEC.
In his view, Brown is not “Cam Newton incarnate,” and the year already looks bleak. He also questioned the roster-building approach, saying Auburn should have kept Cam Coleman and Perry Thompson and used the rest of the money on a SEC caliber offensive line.
Mohamed in Sudan was even more direct. He said Brown had not improved by fall and described him as “heavy and lethargic.”
He urged Auburn not to make the “fatal mistake” of sticking with the quarterback too long and said, “Next man up.” He also wrote, “You cannot take a mule to the Kentucky Derby.
You got to have a stallion.”
Thomas pushed back on the idea that Baylor should be treated as a major measuring stick. He noted that Baylor finished with a 3-6 conference record in 2025 and missed a bowl game, then called it “a terrible game by two mediocre teams in front of a non-sold out stadium.”
The response from Joe was to say he values hearing from college football fans “from around the world.” He described Mohamed as a diehard Auburn fan living in a small village by the Nile River just south of Egypt, and said Mohamed earned his doctorate at Auburn from the School of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. Joe said Mohamed’s research dealt with a bacterium associated with disease in cultured catfish in the southeastern United States, and added that Mohamed later became friends with Pat Dye and David Housel.
Then the focus turned back to Brown’s night.
Joe said Auburn fans had every right to be concerned after Brown threw three interceptions against Baylor. Brown had never thrown three picks in a game before his Auburn debut, and the first one came on Auburn’s first real downfield shot of the season. That pass went straight to the Baylor cornerback covering the play and killed Auburn’s longest drive of the first half.
The second interception came at the end of the second quarter, when Brown forced a throw into traffic in the red zone and wiped out another scoring chance. The third came early in the second half, on the first play of Auburn’s first drive of the fourth quarter, when Brown threw over the middle and Baylor turned it into a tying field goal.
By that point, the questions were piling up. Joe even raised the possibility of whether Auburn should have just given 2025 interim coach DJ Durkin the full-time job after Jon Sumrall took the Florida job.
But Brown’s night did not end with the turnovers. He steadied himself in the fourth quarter and helped Auburn pull out the win with a drive built mostly on his scrambling ability. Joe called that a sign of mental toughness and resiliency, and said Brown redeemed himself.
Golesh also drew praise for the way he handled the postgame fallout. Joe said the coach tried to take some of the blame for Brown’s three-interception game, and contrasted that with what he described as Hugh Freeze’s tendency to claim credit for wins and point fingers after losses.
As for the bigger quarterback question, Joe said he has no idea whether Brown can lead Auburn to the playoffs, and he added that nobody else really knows either. But he made one thing clear: Auburn’s defense looks good enough to keep the Tigers in games, and Brown remains the best option.
He also said Brown should get a confidence boost this week against Southern Miss before Florida visits Auburn for the first time since 2011. Joe noted that Florida’s Sumrall will already be building a defensive plan meant to make Brown rely on his arm.
Joe also rejected the idea that Brown can’t win against SEC teams. Brown, after all, went to Gainesville and beat the Gators last season while playing for South Florida.
Auburn’s win left plenty unresolved, but Joe closed on one point he said he knows for sure: backup Tristan Ti’a, a transfer from Oregon State, is not a better choice.
For now, it’s Brown or bust for Auburn.
In Other News...
Bryce Cain Is Forcing His Way Into Auburns Plans
Bryce Cain has gone from a name on the depth chart to someone Auburns staff is actively trying to get on the field more often. Head coach Alex Golesh said the Tigers plan to keep folding Cain into the game plan after a recent explosive play, and he pointed to the way Cain has handled special teams as part of the reason the coaches are taking a harder look at his role.
For a team still sorting out where its best pieces fit, that kind of production tends to travel. Cain has clearly done enough to earn more opportunities, and Auburn is now working through how to create them in the offense without losing what he already brings on special teams. The next step is less about whether he belongs in the mix and more about how quickly the Tigers can turn that into a bigger role. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Injury Picture Up Front Just Got A Lot More Interesting
Auburns front was a major concern coming out of the season opener against Baylor, when four trench players went down and left the Tigers waiting on clarity during the early part of the week. Alex Golesh has now provided a much better read on the group, and it points to a healthier rotation heading into the matchup with Southern Mississippi, with the staff getting encouraging signs on both sides of the line.
Cole Skinner and Jacob Strand are expected to be available, and edge rusher Chris Murray is already confirmed healthy, which gives Auburn a stronger baseline up front than it had a few days ago. DaShawn Womack is still working through a lower-body injury and remains day-to-day, though there is at least a chance he could return to practice later in the week, leaving one final question for a unit that suddenly looks far less depleted. [Read more 🡒]
Alex Golesh Sent Auburn Fans An Early Message After Ugly Win
Alex Golesh spent the day after Auburns 17-16 win over Baylor putting the focus on the problems behind it, not the relief of escaping with a victory. The Auburn coach took responsibility for the offensive mistakes, including three interceptions from quarterback Byrum Brown, and said the standard has to be the same for him and the players. In a game that still counted as a win, Golesh made it clear the performance on that side of the ball was not close to where it needs to be.
Golesh pointed to the offenses lack of rhythm as a major issue and stressed that Auburn has to do a better job protecting the quarterback and running the football. It was an early message, but an important one, because ugly wins can hide problems only so long in a season. For Auburn, the concern is not just cleaning up turnovers, but making sure the offense finds something steadier before the next tight game forces the same questions again. [Read more 🡒]