Alex Golesh, Auburn Defense Rave About Eric Winters After Game-Winning Tackle

Winters made the game-sealing tackle in the final seconds to get the Tigers started on the right foot.

Auburn Tigers safety Eric Winters (5) makes a game winning tackle on Baylor Bears tight end Matthew Klopfenstein (85) on a two-point conversion attempt at the end of the game as Auburn Tigers take on Baylor Bears in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. Auburn Tigers defeated Baylor Bears 17-16. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Fans of the Auburn Tigers held their breath on Saturday night as the Baylor Bears, who had not led all game, scored a touchdown over Auburn safety Eric Winters with just nine seconds left in the game to make the score 17-16 and elected to go for two, meaning one play would ultimately decide the outcome of the game.

DJ Lagway found Baylor tight end Matthew Klopfenstein just outside of the end zone, but then Klopfenstein met Winters, who was looking to make up for his mistake on the Baylor touchdown. Winters made a big hit on Klopfenstein, stopping him just inches short of an Auburn loss.

Winters finished up the game with an impressive 11 tackles, not including his tackle on Klopfenstein, as well as a team-high 2.0 tackles for loss. After the game, Winters’ head coach and teammates had high praises for the man that many Auburn fans are already considering to be the savior of the game.

“He's special,” Auburn head coach Alex Golesh said. “He really is. But he works like that. That's how he practices... We gave him the game ball, career high in tackles and finishing the way he finished, a little bit -- inside that locker room a little bit ironic because we literally just talked about it last night. I said, ‘You're going to make a play that makes a difference in this game. I just sense it.’ He certainly did.”

Golesh, though, is not on the field with Winters during the game, but those who were also had incredibly high praise for Winters’ resilience, especially after letting up the touchdown that would have sealed a loss for the Tigers if not for Winters’ effort on the following play.

“I would say, after the fact, all the fans, it felt like a home game out there. Eric, he comes to work every day. I'm pretty sure that was him on the touchdown, and that just shows his next-play mentality, came out here and did the job.”

Elijah Melendez, a fellow sophomore who led the Tigers in total tackles with 12, told the press that he had no doubt that Winters would make the play in the biggest moment of the game.

“It was so exciting to see Eric do that,” he said. “He deserves so much time. We were roommates for a year. Really focused guy, straight football. I knew he was going to stop him.”

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