Auburn’s 26-23 win over Arkansas on Saturday came with a rare kind of postgame honesty from head coach Alex Golesh, who didn’t hide from the way the first half looked.
“Honestly, maybe the play calls sucked. We as coaches have to find ways to put him in successful situations. ...
Shame on us. We have to get better,” Golesh said.
That blunt assessment came after a game in which quarterback Byrum Brown rescued the Tigers’ offense with a second-half surge, using his legs to tilt the field and then delivering a miraculous touchdown pass to Keshaun Singleton after slipping away from the pass rush. Brown wasn’t flawless, and Golesh made that clear too, but he still leaned into praise for the quarterback’s edge.
“For as imperfect as he is sometimes, he has such a grit, a winning mentality, a toughness,” Golesh said. “I tell him, ‘Don’t listen to anybody except that voice in your head that tells you you’re a badass.’”
Brown finished with 300 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns.
The performance also raised a bigger question about how Auburn has been using him. Brown’s impact against Arkansas looked a lot like what he did in the Georgia upset back in October: holding onto the ball, reacting to the defense, and punishing blitzes by taking matters into his own hands. That has made it fair to wonder whether the offense would have gotten more out of him this season if it had leaned into his strengths instead of trying to force things to the running backs, especially with the interior offensive line not in a place to support a strong old-fashioned run game.
Golesh’s comments also point to a potential coaching issue involving Joel Gordon. It’s not clear whether Golesh has already taken over the play-calling, but his public criticism of Gordon’s game plan doesn’t exactly suggest smooth sailing ahead. The situation is awkward, especially since Golesh brought Gordon with him from USF, which points to a positive working relationship between the two.
That leaves a few possibilities on the table, including Golesh taking over play-calling duties himself and perhaps shifting Gordon into a quarterbacks coach role rather than moving straight to a firing.
Auburn has three regular-season games left - Mississippi State, Samford, and the Iron Bowl - and the Tigers can at least breathe easier knowing the Arkansas win locked up bowl eligibility on the Plains for the first time since 2023 after the Alabama game.
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Byrum Brown Covered Up An Auburn Problem Fans Still Can't Ignore
Auburn got out of Arkansas with a 26-23 win, but the way it got there left plenty of familiar concerns hanging around. The Tigers leaned on Byrum Brown to help spark the running game after a rough first half on offense, and the defense did enough to keep the game within reach, including six sacks that put real pressure on the Razorbacks.
Byrum Browns impact helped cover up an offense that still looked uneven up front, and the protection issues were hard to miss even in a victory. The pass rush gave Auburn a lift, but the secondary also had stretches that will keep coaches busy, which is why a win like this can still feel like a reminder of how much work remains. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Finally Showed A Pulse But One Concern Isn't Going Away
Auburns 26-23 win over Arkansas offered a much-needed jolt, both for a team that had been searching for traction and for an offense that finally found a better rhythm after a slow start. The Tigers are now 5-4 overall and 3-4 in the SEC, and while the early struggles were real, the second half brought enough improvement to suggest there is still something to work with as the season moves deeper into November.
The defense did its part in keeping Auburn afloat, holding Arkansas to 23 points even while giving up 179 rushing yards, and freshman linebacker Shadarius Toodle stood out with a disruptive performance that included 11 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. Still, the run defense remains the concern that wont go away, and it is the kind of issue that could keep this team from turning one encouraging result into a real run of momentum. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Faces One Costly Problem In Must Win Against Arkansas
Auburn heads into its matchup with Arkansas needing to make the most of a familiar SEC rivalry while dealing with a thin defense. The Tigers will be without several defensive starters because of injuries, which puts even more pressure on the rest of the roster as they prepare for the 35th consecutive meeting between the programs since 1992. With so much at stake, the margin for error is already small.
The bigger concern is whether Auburn can balance that defensive uncertainty with enough production on offense to stay in control. The staff has been focused on improving the running game and turning takeaways into points, and head coach Golesh has stressed how important roster depth is in a game like this. If Auburn cant cash in on turnover chances, a matchup that already carries plenty of weight could become even harder to manage. [Read more 🡒]