Byrum Brown rumbled in with the tiebreaking touchdown, Eric Winters made a game-saving tackle on a two-point conversion and Auburn opened the Alex Golesh era with a 17-16 victory over Baylor in Saturday afternoon’s mistake-filled, neutral-site season opener in Atlanta.
Winters stepped up and tackled 248-pound tight end Matthew Klopfenstein on a quick out just short of the goal line with nine seconds left to preserve the win. Winters finished with 11 tackles and a forced fumble.
Brown, who followed coach Golesh to Auburn from USF, completed 26 of 35 passes for 259 yards but threw three interceptions. Jeremiah Cobb had 12 carries for 53 yards and a touchdown.
Florida transfer D.J. Lagway battled through a right ankle injury in the first half and went 27-of-54 passing for 333 yards in his Baylor debut, with two TDs and a pick. Gavin Freeman posted 154 yards and a score on 12 catches.
The Bears had a fumble, an interception, committed two turnovers on downs, missed a field goal and failed on a two-pointer.
Alex McPherson’s 43-yard field goal at 8:13 of the first quarter put the Tigers up 3-0.
A turnover plagued another good drive by the Bears as Lagway’s pass was thrown right to edge rusher Jared Smith for an interception.
Baylor kicker Rhett Armstrong’s 42-yard boot early in the second quarter veered hard right to keep Auburn up by three.
The Bears recorded the game’s third turnover when Reggie Bush II picked off Brown’s long pass and was tackled at the 2 with 7:13 remaining in the half.
Bryce Cain’s run for 25 yards on a reverse set up Auburn late in the half. Cobb made it 10-0 on the next play at 3:51 when he broke through over the right side on a 15-yard scoring run, but Louis Brown IV caught a back-shoulder, 14-yard TD with 90 seconds left.
The Bears’ Devon Jordan intercepted Brown at the Baylor 11 to keep it 10-7 at halftime.
McPherson missed a kick from 43 yards early in the second half, but the Tigers responded with a turnover on downs in the third and a crucial one early in the fourth before Armstrong’s 22-yarder made it 10-all with 7:12 left in regulation.
Brown scored on an 11-yard keeper with 3:21 left for the lead, but Lagway tossed a 5-yard TD pass on fourth down to Freeman before the failed conversion attempt.
