Auburn's Golesh Previews SEC Road Test and Return to Tennessee

Auburn coach Alex Golesh praised his team's effort after a 21-15 win over Vanderbilt and looked ahead to a Week 5 trip to Tennessee, the program he once helped lead.

Auburn coach Alex Golesh met with reporters on Monday, days after the Tigers beat Vanderbilt 21-15 at Jordan-Hare Stadium, as attention shifted to the team's first SEC road game of the season. The Week 5 matchup sends Auburn to Tennessee.

Golesh thanked the home crowd for its energy and said he saw sustained hustle from his players in all three phases. "The effort on all three sides of the ball, I thought we continued to play with a high level of effort," he said. In his view, that commitment will keep separating the Tigers as the program develops, even with plenty still to correct.

Reviewing the Vanderbilt game, Golesh described Auburn's first two offensive possessions as "really, really poor" before the group settled in and found a rhythm. The two-minute drive at the end of the first half produced no points, a letdown in a situation where the Tigers had been efficient. He pointed to third-down success near 50%, pass protection that kept the quarterback from taking hits, and Byrum Brown's command of unfamiliar defensive looks, including a late throw to Keshaun Singleton against heavy pressure.

Slow starts have been a recurring issue this season, and Golesh put that on himself. "I know I own a lot of it, I truly own that," he said, adding that the staff had to solve the problem immediately rather than lean on excuses.

Defensively, the story was mixed. Auburn was strong on third down but failed to stop Vanderbilt on all four of its fourth-down attempts — three fourth-and-ones and a fourth-and-three — misses Golesh likened to turnovers. He liked the run defense and the pressure on the quarterback but admitted Vanderbilt's passer escaped the pocket too often, a concern with a mobile Tennessee quarterback ahead, and he praised his defenders for lining up quickly and handling tempo.

Golesh framed the road opener as a meaningful step for the program. Tennessee, in his assessment, is well coached and certain of its identity across all three phases, making it a significant challenge that he and his players welcome.

The game also carries personal weight. Golesh ran Tennessee's offense in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, and he described Josh Heupel — who gave him an opportunity in 2020 and later brought him to Tennessee — as a mentor and friend who reshaped his views on offense and on running a program and supported his move into head coaching. He said he has rooted for Heupel from a distance, though this week the aim is to beat him.

As for whether his familiarity with the Tennessee staff shapes the week, Golesh said it makes him think twice about certain parts of the game plan. Even so, he cautioned against drastic changes that could leave players unsure of the plan, since execution decides games, and he noted that four years have passed since he worked there.