Eric Winters’ heroics in Auburn’s 17-16 season-opening win over Baylor last Saturday in Atlanta typified what new head coach Alex Golesh and his staff preach: Listen to the coaches, know the assignment and execute.
Winters, who made a game-saving tackle on a two-point conversion, and the rest of the Tigers will try to remain undefeated Saturday night when they host Southern Miss.
The safety had 11 tackles (nine solo), but none was as important as him standing tall and manhandling Baylor tight end Matthew Klopfenstein, denying his attempt to score a game-winning conversion.
“We made a point in both positive and negative ways, of how you practice is how you play,” said Auburn defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin of Winters, a 6-foot, 215-pound Enterprise, Ala., product. “Eric has had tremendous training. You saw it in how he played.
“He was against a big-bodied guy, the tight end. If he did not do all of that the way you’re supposed to, that ball has to go six more inches and it’s a whole different story.”
The Tigers (1-0) made numerous errors in victory: They turned the ball over three times, failed on their only fourth-down attempt, missed a field goal and committed six penalties for 47 yards.
“The old cliche of you get better from Week 1 to Week 2 if you stress the right things, we have to,” Golesh said. “We don’t have a choice.”
The Golden Eagles (1-0) pummeled FCS opponent Alcorn State 49-3 in their opener as Steven Robinson carried 23 times for a game-high 123 yards and three touchdowns to also give head coach Blake Anderson a win in his team debut.
Defensive back Kobi Albert had a career day in the runaway win.
The cornerback snared the first three interceptions of his career in his Southern Miss debut, earning Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week honors on a unit which allowed Alcorn State only 223 yards of offense.
“Obviously, Kobi Albert had a great game, and that’s honestly not a surprise,” said Anderson. “He’s been a great leader. He’s one of the guys that stood up and just does everything right. … He is one of those guys that is leading by both his work ethic, his actions on and off the field.”