Alex Golesh Lost to Navy While At USF. Should Auburn Fans Be Concerned?

Auburn's new head coach had a bump in the road last season with his old team. It begs an important question about translating to SEC play.

Last season, Alex Golesh's USF Bulls fell to Navy in the middle of the year. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One of the bigger narratives surrounding new Auburn Tigers head coach Alex Golesh, from the day he was hired, has been a questionable blemish on his record: a 41-38 loss to Navy in 2025.

Many fans of the Tigers are concerned because a large part of USF’s roster, especially on offense, is set to play on the Plains in the fall, along with, of course, their head coach and offensive coordinator. 

So, should Tiger fans be worried? After a deeper look at the matchup, frankly, we are not all too concerned. Let’s break it down.

Perhaps the biggest discrepancy between last year’s USF squad and this year’s Auburn team is the defense. After all, the Tigers returned most major contributors from last year’s top-level squad (save for Keldric Faulk and Keyron Crawford, who were selected in the 2026 NFL Draft), which should bode well for the Tigers in 2026.

The Tigers’ defense consistently kept Auburn in close matchups throughout Hugh Freeze’s tenure, regardless of the level of their opponent, and is expected to be top-of-the-line once again under returning defensive coordinator DJ Durkin. Conversely, it seemed as if USF’s offense was succeeding in spite of its defense, which allowed over 330 rushing yards to the Midshipmen in their 2025 matchup.

The Midshipmen broke off several big plays against what appeared to be a paper-thin USF defense, including an 82-yard reception that, to this day, stands as the largest Navy passing play in nearly 16 years. In total, Navy accounted for over 500 yards of offense against the Bulls, largely on big, breakaway plays in the first half, a feat that would surely be nigh-impossible in a traditional matchup with the Tigers.

The Bulls also had a special teams miscue when kicker Nico Gramatica missed a point-after try to cut the lead to three late in the fourth quarter. Auburn kicker Alex McPherson has yet to miss a PAT in his career, so it is safe to assume that this will not be an issue for Golesh’s new team.

Golesh and offensive coordinator Joel Gordon illustrated their quarterback’s ability to make big plays in key moments, including a 60-yard rushing touchdown and a 41-yard passing touchdown. Brown finished up the day with 327 passing yards and two passing touchdowns, as well as a team-high 136 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.

Notably, the next highest rusher on the team was Alvon Isaac, who rushed seven times for 32 yards. Brown will almost certainly have much better help in his backfield this season, especially with the addition of Bryson Washington, a Baylor transfer who will join Auburn starter Jeremiah Cobb in the backfield.

The Bulls even pulled a few tricks out of their bag, including a 29-yard touchdown pass from then-freshman running back Nykahi Davenport to Jeremiah Koger, both of whom are now Tigers.

The Bulls’ two leading receivers were Jeremiah Koger, who hauled in nine passes for 112 yards and a touchdown, as well as Keshaun Singleton, who made two highly impressive contested catches on his way to a five-reception, 86-yard, one-touchdown day.

However, it was not all sunshine and roses for the Bulls’ offense, even if their defense was a major contributor to their eventual loss, as in the second quarter, Byrum Brown threw a pretty bad interception off his back foot with little pressure in his face. Typically, he tucks and rushes on plays like these, which worked well for the Bulls throughout that matchup, and the offense was able to recover from the miscue.

In total, the Bulls managed only nine points in the first half, scoring a field goal and second-quarter touchdown, after which they failed to convert an aggressive two-point try. However, the second half was quite more up to Golesh’s tempo, as the Bulls scored on four of their five second-half drives, not including the one second ‘drive’ to close the game that was only a desperate lateral play.

So, all things considered, I believe that though Auburn’s new offense may have some holes in it and things to continue developing, they have proven an ability to score efficiently at a high level when firing on all cylinders. They will, however, need to figure out how to come out of the gate hot, as we learned last year that Auburn’s defense is top-of-the-line, but they can only save you from so much.

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