Auburn safety Eric Winters turned one tackle into national recognition after Baylor’s late two-point try came up inches short in a game that swung on the final snap.
On Wednesday, the Football Writers Association of America named Winters the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week. He also earned the Lott Impact Trophy Player of the Week after stopping Baylor tight end Matthew Klopfenstein just shy of the goal line on a critical two-point attempt. That play sealed the game for Auburn, denying Baylor a chance to take the lead with fewer than 10 seconds left in regulation.
The Bears had set up the call to Klopfenstein with a sprint-out look from offensive coordinator Jake Spavital. Baylor’s receivers worked pick routes to clear space, and quarterback DJ Lagway needed only to put the ball on Klopfenstein’s outside shoulder for what looked like a go-ahead score.
Instead, Lagway’s throw drifted too far inside. Klopfenstein had to come back toward the pass and lost enough speed for Winters to slice in and finish the play before the tight end reached the end zone.
Had Baylor converted, Auburn still would have had time to answer. Winters removed that possibility entirely. The Bears were forced into an onside kick, and that attempt failed, putting the result beyond doubt.
The decision to go for two drew criticism after the game, but Baylor coach Dave Aranda stood by it in his postgame press conference.
"We had a bunch of guys getting Band Aided up," Aranda said during his postgame press conference. "We had a chance to kind of close it out, and we wanted to do that.
"There was no hesitation with that. We referenced the book, and the book said to go for it.
But it wasn't so much that. It was more of we had so many guys that were just doing everything they can to try to push through and close this game out.
I just didn't feel playing longer was going to benefit us."
Aranda’s choice may keep drawing scrutiny, but it also fits a pattern Baylor Bears On SI’s Brad Teague noted after the game: Aranda has not been shy about keeping the offense on the field on fourth downs and point-after tries.
Saturday’s matchup may not have featured a true talent edge for Baylor, and games like that do not often come down to one kick-or-go decision. Still, if Lagway had delivered the ball where it needed to be and Klopfenstein had crossed the line, the call would likely have looked a lot different.
For now, though, the result lands on Aranda’s ledger, and with Baylor sitting at 36-38 under him, losses like this only sharpen the pressure around the program.
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