Auburn head coach Alex Golesh will lead the Tigers on to the field for the first time as head coach on Saturday, Sept. 5 when Auburn faces Baylor in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Will history be on his side?
Golesh became a head coach before the 2023 season, taking over the USF program after serving as an offensive coordinator under Josh Heupel at both UCF and Tennessee, with the Bulls dropping the first game, 41-24, to Western Kentucky in Bowling Green.
He hopes to change his fate as the next head coach of the Auburn Tigers, a program hungry for success after losing seven games in each of the last four seasons. How likely is it that he gets the season started on a high note with a win?
Here is a look at how
each of Auburn's last five head coaches fared in their first games as head coach.
Hugh Freeze
The Hugh Freeze era began with a massive 59-14 win over UMass at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023. Auburn was tested by UMass in the first quarter, escaping the first 15 minutes with just a 10-7 lead. The Tigers would then turn on the jets by outscoring the Minutemen, 21-0 in the second quarter, all on Robby Ashford touchdown runs.
Auburn started the season with a 3-0 record before ending the season with a 6-7 record, and a loss to Maryland in the Music City Bowl. It would be the only time in the Freeze era that Auburn qualified for a bowl game.
Bryan Harsin
Auburn football's offense performed at a high level in the season-opener for Bryan Harsin by posting 60 points and 613 total yards in a 50-point win over Akron. Bo Nix tossed three touchdown passes and Tank Bigsby added two more scores on the ground in the win.
Auburn dropped 60 points again the following week, defeating Alabama State, 62-0. As was the case with Freeze, Auburn started hot before ending the season with a bowl loss and a 6-7 record. Auburn lost to Penn State and escaped a homecoming heartbreak against Georgia State before defeating LSU in Baton Rouge, its first win over the Bayou Bengals inside Tiger Stadium since 1999. Auburn lost its final five games of the season, including a 17-13 loss to Houston in the Birmingham Bowl.
Gus Malzahn
Gus Malzahn, the offensive mastermind behind Auburn's 2010 BCS National Championship, returned to the Plains in 2013 to take over the Tigers program. He set the tone for the season by leading Auburn to a 31-24 win over Washington State at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Aug. 31, 2013. Corey Grant rushed for 146 yards and a score in the win while Cody Parkey solidified the win with four made field goals.
The win was the first of 12 for Auburn that season. Auburn won the SEC by defeating Missouri in an offensive slugfest, 59-42, and was mere seconds away from claiming its second BCS National Title in four seasons before Florida State ruined the fun.
Gene Chizik
The 2009 season was strange, as it would be the first time in 10 years that the Auburn Tigers were led by someone other than Tommy Tuberville. Chizik returned to Auburn as head coach in 2009 after serving as the Tigers defensive coordinator under Tuberville from 2002-04, and would lead the Tigers for 3 1/2 seasons.
His tenure began with a 37-13 win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009. Auburn outgained Louisiana Tech, 556-245 behind two 100 yard efforts by Ben Tate and Onterrio McCalebb, and a 255-yard passing performance from Chris Todd. Zac Etheridge, Craig Stevens, and Josh Bynes all logged eight tackles in the win.
The win over Louisiana Tech was a refreshing sight for Auburn fans, who just experienced a 5-7 season the year before. Auburn won eight games that season, including a thrilling overtime win over Northwestern in the Outback Bowl.
Tommy Tuberville
“They’ll have to carry me out of here in a pine box.”
Those famous words were uttered by Tommy Tuberville days before he left Ole Miss to take the Auburn job before the 1999 season. The pine box later carried him to the Plains, where he led Auburn to a 5-6 record as the next man up for Terry Bowdon, who resigned during a 1998 season that resulted in a 3-8 record for Auburn.
However, his tenure began with a 22-15 win over Appalachian State on Sept. 4, 1999. The Tigers were outgained in the game, 323-288, but Auburn managed to squeak out a win thanks to a 33-yard touchdown pass from Ben Leard to Ronney Daniels with 0:38 remaining.
Auburn earned two conference wins that season, against LSU and Georgia, and missed a bowl game in Tuberville's first season.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: How Auburn's last five head coaches fared in their first game
