HOUSTON, October 19, 2026 — Auburn head football coach Alex Golesh has been named Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Week following the Tigers’ come-from-behind, 27-24 win over No. 1 Georgia on Saturday in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.
After the Tigers’ defense forced a fumble with the game tied and less than a minute to play, Alex McPherson booted a 34-yard, game-winning field goal as time expired.
The American Heart Association, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone everywhere, presents the Bear Bryant Awards annually to celebrate excellence in coaching, to honor Coach Bryant’s legacy and to raise awareness and critical funds for its mission. The coaching legend died from a heart attack in 1983, just 28 days after his final victory and retirement.
The win over Georgia marks the second time in series history that an unranked Auburn team has beaten a top-ranked Georgia team. The last time was a 27-13 win in 1942.
Since 1998, Auburn has had four regular-season wins against AP No. 1 ranked teams – the most in college football, and it is the first for the Tigers since 2017, when Auburn knocked off Alabama 26-14 in the Iron Bowl.
After falling behind 14-0 in the opening quarter, the Tigers rallied with 24 unanswered points, taking a 24-14 lead into the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs charged back to knot the game at 24-24 with 2:58 to play, and forced a defensive stop with just over a minute to play.
With good field position to begin its drive, Georgia benefitted from a pass interference call against Auburn that gave the Bulldogs the ball in Tiger territory; however, on the very next play, Cody Sigler forced a fumble that was covered by Sylvester Smith-Reed to set up the eventual game-winning drive.
Each week through the remainder of the season, the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards will recognize a coach for leading their team to an exceptional victory. The Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Week is chosen by a committee of national college football media members. Golesh’s selection follows previous selections of Oklahoma’s Brent Venables, Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri’s Luke Fickell, Ole Miss’ Pete Golding, Oklahoma State Eric Morris, Western Michigan’s Lance Taylor and Memphis’ Charles Huff.
Golesh becomes just the fourth multiple-time Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Week, having been previously selected on Sept. 9, 2025 during his time at USF. He joins three-time winner Brent Venables of Oklahoma, and two-time winners Mike Elko of Texas A&M and Jeff Brohm of Louisville.
Fans can follow the lead up to January’s annual Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards Ceremony at facebook.com/bryantawards, x.com/bryantawards or Instagram.com/bryantawards or the hashtag #BryantAwards. To attend the exclusive, VIP experience visit bryantawards.org.
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