Auburn Defense Holds Strong, Wins By Inches in Win Over Baylor

The Auburn Tigers win their opening game under head coach Alex Golesh by only several inches. Here's how.

Auburn running back Jeremiah Cobb ran in a 15-yard touchdown in the Tigers' win over Baylor on Saturday. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Going into the 2026 season, the Auburn Tigers were viewed for their potential on offense under head coach Alex Golesh. In their first game of his tenure, the defense took charge. 

On the final defensive play of the game, safety Eric Winters makes a game-sealing tackle on a Baylor two-point conversion, winning 17-16 in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon. Despite giving up a touchdown on the final drive, Auburn’s defense kept the Tigers in the game with two turnovers and critical stops. 

ERIC WINTERS GAME SAVING TACKLE 🔥

COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS SO BACK pic.twitter.com/oKz2Ce8R5P

— AuburnHQ (@auburnnhq) September 5, 2026

That impact began on Auburn’s first defensive drive, stopping Baylor quarterback DJ Lagway on a quarterback run that ended in a fumble. A drive late, Lagway threw a pass right into the arms of Jared Smith, committing a turnover in Tiger territory. 

While defense won the Tigers the game, the Auburn offense scored on its final offensive drive with some help from fifth-year quarterback Byrum Brown. The USF transfer orchestrated a 10-play, 75-yard drive that he called off with an 11-yard touchdown run to go up a score.

That drive will highlight the Tigers’ offense on Saturday afternoon. However, Brown didn’t have the strongest debut that he could’ve. 

The quarterback finished with three interceptions, which was the first time he had committed that many in his entire career. The Baylor defense saw plenty of changes under first-year defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman, creating a game that was completely different from the first leg of the two-year contest. 

Baylor outnumbered Auburn in total yards as well, with the Tigers allowing 436 yards of total offense, but made the necessary stops to pull out the win. After the game, Golesh even said there was a laundry list of fixes ahead of the remainder of the season. 

Auburn got an early 10-point lead in the second quarter on the ground. Running back Jeremiah Cobb scampered in on a 15-yard score to set the tone early. However, the Tigers would either punt, turn over on downs or throw an interception until Brown’s touchdown run with 3:21 remaining in the game. 

Golesh’s offense remains a work in progress, but Saturday was about defensive coordinator DJ Durkin’s group, who remained stout even after a 14-play, 70-yard scoring drive by Baylor to score with nine seconds remaining. Winters finished the game with 11 total tackles and two tackles for loss, not including his tackle on Baylor tight end Matthew Klopfenstein, which saved the win.

The Tigers return home next weekend to face Southern Miss at Jordan-Hare Stadium. 

Enjoy our content? Make AuburnOnSI a preferred source to see more stories from us on Google byclicking here.