Five Important Quotes Auburn HC Alex Golesh Said Following Arkansas Win

Auburn football got back in the win column on Saturday, taking down the Arkansas Razorbacks to pick up its second home SEC win of the season.

After the win, head coach Alex Golesh had plenty to say regarding his team’s performance, which was down double-digits at one point in the game. The Tigers used a go-ahead field goal from Alex McPherson with 33 seconds to go to seal the win.

Here’s what Auburn’s leader had to say following the victory.

“Really a tale of two halves, offensively. First six drives was as bad as you can imagine, and then the last six, we looked like an offense, and it looked efficient.

Auburn’s first drives showed no signs of life, only accounting for 47 total yards and no third-down conversions. The Tigers also couldn’t pick up any points until the final drive of the frame, which was only a field goal.

However, Golesh’s group eventually woke up, playing the Auburn style that we’ve seen consistently over the course of the season. The Tigers finished their final six drives with over 300 yards of offense, with almost all of it coming from quarterback Byrum Brown, finishing with 180 passing yards and over 100 rushing yards to record three touchdown contributions in the win.

As it always goes, though, Auburn will look to be efficient with every quarter, and some help from the defense helped keep the Tigers in the game until they got going offensively.

“[He] did not look like a freshman, and maybe waited too long to play him, but sometimes that’s how it shakes.”

Golesh is referring to freshman linebacker Shadarius Toodle, who was the first Tiger to ever record three sacks in his first game of his career game. When the linebacker room was thin, the Mobile, Alabama, native was the man who stepped up.

In addition to the three sacks, Toodle finished with five tackles for loss, 11 solo tackles and a pass deflection in the win, being a nightmare for Arkansas quarterback K.J. Jackson. Being his first true game as a college player, the Razorbacks weren’t able to scout him enough to be on Auburn’s practice squad.

It won’t be the last that Tiger fans see of Toodle, though. Golesh knows that, and perhaps he regrets keeping him off the field.

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“Truly, the only word last night was finish. The only word this morning was finish. The only word at halftime was finish. Play to play, finish drives, and then certainly finish the game.”

Throughout October, when Auburn had four ranked opponents in the five-week stretch, Golesh wasn’t able to see his team play complete games at times. That was present in a blown lead to Tennessee, a first-half defensive breakdown against LSU and 28 unanswered points against Ole Miss last week.

However, although they didn’t start strong, the Tigers finished at home on Saturday, scoring 17 of their points in the fourth quarter and scoring points on nearly every second-half drive over the course of the 30 minutes.

It’s a mentality that Golesh will continue to stretch as November continues, facing the Mississippi State Bulldogs next, who are itching for another win after losing their last five.

“Just stay with it, and ultimately, that’s what the tempo piece of it does is it wears people down, but you can’t be anemic for a half and then think you’re going to beat a really good football team just by going out in the second half.”

Golesh admits that the offense needed some adjustments, but late-game, he trusts his offense to produce more based on the type of speed his unit runs at.

The Tigers are one of the fastest teams in the country in terms of yards per play. When Auburn is able to string together first downs, it wears out the opposing defense, which the Razorbacks experienced on Saturday afternoon. Since they kept succeeding, it led to an avalanche of points that Golesh was able to finish with in the fourth quarter.

For the team, it’s a message to trust the process, keeping the faith in games where Auburn is down by a lot of points. Golesh will look to continue that speed to get the Tigers bowl eligible.

“For us to scrap, like truly scrap out wins in some dog fights, has been a really good deal for our building of our foundation from a mental toughness standpoint, and to be able to point to something in that regard.”

While Auburn isn’t in the mix for the SEC Championship or College Football Playoff, the emphasis on winning these close games couldn’t be stressed more, especially against another program looking to instill the same belief.

Under previous head coach Hugh Freeze, the Tigers wouldn’t win these types of games. Now, Auburn is undefeated in one-score games this season, showing its ability to finish. Golesh will look to continue that throughout the rest of the month and circle back on these moments as his tenure continues on the Plains.

The Tigers will be back in action in Starkville next weekend against Mississippi State. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m.

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