Auburn head coach Alex Golesh once again blamed his coaching staff for a poor performance, at least in the first half, during the Tigers' 26-23 win over Arkansas on Saturday. Golesh took the honesty to brutal levels postgame.
"Honestly, maybe the play calls sucked. We as coaches have to find ways to put him in successful situations. ... Shame on us. We have to get better," Golesh said.
Granted, Golesh didn't say that quarterback Byrum Brown, who spear-headed the winning effort with dominant runs in the second half and a miraculous touchdown pass to Keshaun Singleton after avoiding the pass rush, was perfect either.
Golesh did give Brown his flowers, though, in spite of his coaching staff's poor efforts.
"For as imperfect as he is sometimes, he has such a grit, a winning mentality, a toughness," Golesh said. "I tell him, 'Don't listen to anybody except that voice in your head that tells you you're a badass.'"
Brown had 300 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. Badass indeed.
You simply wonder if he could've achieved more this season had the game plan ridden his talents and not tried to force it to the running backs when it's clear the interior offensive line isn't in a place that can enable a strong old-fashioned run game.
Alex Golesh has a Joel Gordon problem to address
The Razorbacks game felt a lot like the Georgia upset back in October. Brown made things happen by holding onto the ball and reacting to the defense, punishing blitzes by calling his own number.
It's tempting to say that Golesh took the reins from Joel Gordon, but we don't know for sure. Either way, Golesh aggressively calling out Gordon's game plan doesn't seem to bode well for his future.
It's an awkward situation. Golesh brought Gordon with him from USF, so clearly, the two have a positive working relationship. Would Golesh take over as play-caller and make Gordon a quarterbacks coach instead of outright firing him? Maybe.
We'll see if the playcalling improves over the final three weeks. Mississippi State, Samford, and the Iron Bowl remain on the regular season schedule. With the win over Arkansas, you could rest assured that there will be a bowl season on the Plains for the first time since 2023 after the Alabama game.
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