Out of all the frustrating and perplexing things for Auburn fans over the past three seasons, it has been the Tigers' inability to win close games.
Dating back to 2023, Auburn is 3-14 in games decided by 10 points or less, including 1-6 this past season, with the only win coming against a bad Arkansas team.
And while Alex Golesh has a lot of things to fix now that he is the head coach for the Tigers, that might be one of the most significant. And for the 41-year-old head coach, it doesn't start when the games begin in August.
"The mindset that has to be built, the level of accountability that trains discipline within a program, is what prepares you for the fourth quarter," Golesh said during his introductory press conference." You have to train it. We're going to train the fourth quarter part of what we do, starting the very first second that we start in January with our guys. And it starts with winter workouts."
During a four-game losing streak this season, Auburn lost each by 10 points or less, including an overtime game at home against Missouri. After the win against the Razorbacks, Hugh Freeze's team dropped 10-3 to what was then a winless Kentucky team in SEC play.
While that loss brought down the hammer on the Freeze tenure, Auburn's two losses to end the season – against Vanderbilt in overtime and at home against Alabama – were both by seven points apiece.
Those games are what separate a successful season from a bad one, and for the last three seasons, the Tigers have been on the losing end of them. Now, Golesh has to reset the mindset of Auburn players in crunch time.
"There's certain things and margins that you've got to be able to go get," he said. "Finishing in the fourth quarter is a mindset. The game is still a one-on-one game. You've got to want it more than the other guy, and you've got to train it. We've got to train it better than anybody in the country."