Why Auburn’s Win Over Baylor Could Be A ‘Culture-Changing Opportunity,’ According to This SEC Analyst

On Saturday night, the Auburn Tigers took down the Baylor Bears 17-16 in their opening matchup of the season. Despite the win, many Tiger fans were disappointed in the team’s performance, but SEC Now’s Chris Doering believes this win spells opportunity for the Tigers.

“That’s the difference,” he said of the Tigers’ effort in the late stages of the game. “This is a culture-changing opportunity for them to find a way to win a game when you have it in your lurch. They gave them up last year, this year they do it, and I think that change can be used something as a catapult into the future with the confidence they gained.”

The Tigers did indeed struggle in close games last season, as all seven of their losses were by 10 points or fewer. Conversely, this year’s Tigers have already done something that Hugh Freeze could not do last season: win a one-score game, despite struggles throughout the matchup.

Particularly on offense, the Tigers struggled to get any momentum going for most of the game, as new quarterback Byrum Brown rushed for fewer than 30 yards and threw three interceptions throughout the matchup. However, Brown seemed to get his wits about him when it mattered most, leading the Tigers on a 10-play, 75-yard drive to score what would end up being the game-winning touchdown.

“It looked very much like last year,” Doering said. “The defense did everything they could to keep them in the ballgame; the offense was good at times and wasn’t good at other times, but the difference was winning a close ballgame when you have the chance to. Last year, they lost six one-possession football games. This year, they found a way to put together a 75-yard drive at the end of the ballgame to go up, the defense gives up a couple plays on that drive, including two fourth-down conversions, but they find a way to make a play in the two-point conversion try.”

So, even though the offense may not be exactly where Golesh would like for it to be (or where Auburn fans may have expected it to be), the team still managed to capitalize on defensive strength and close out a tight game, something last year’s team couldn’t do at any point in the season, let alone in week one.

The Tigers still have a long way to go this season, so there will be plenty more time to develop the offensive scheme and execution as the season drags on. Up next for Golesh’s program is the Tigers’ home opener against Southern Mississippi, which is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT this coming Saturday.

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

Add us as a preferred source on Google