Eric Winters stops Baylor’s 2-point try as Auburn prevails 17-16

ATLANTA (AP) — Safety Eric Winters spared Auburn from a Week 1 upset, stopping Baylor inches short of a two-point conversion with nine seconds remaining on the clock and preserving the Tigers' 17-16 win on Saturday.

Quarterback Byrum Brown dodged a pile-up in the middle of the field and ran for an 11-yard touchdown with 3:21 remaining in the fourth, giving Auburn a 17-10 lead.

Baylor quarterback DJ Lagway saved his best drive of the day for last, finding Gavin Freeman 27 yards downfield on a crucial fourth down and then four plays later hit Freeman again for a 5-yard touchdown.

But Winters stopped tight end Matthew Klopfenstein short of the end zone on the two-point try and sealed Alex Golesh's first victory as coach of the Tigers.

“It certainly wasn't pretty in a lot of ways, but finding a way to win is the first step," Golesh said after the game. “Eric Winters absolutely huge there at the end. You could use whatever cliche you want. Game of inches, it most certainly is in every way.”

In a matchup featuring two transfer quarterbacks making their debuts, it quickly became a defensive battle.

Lagway's first drive for Baylor resulted in a lost fumble, which seven plays and 45 yards later, Auburn turned into a field goal to take an early lead.

The Florida transfer's next two drives resulted in an interception and a missed field goal. Auburn went three-and-out after both of them.

Auburn found the end zone with 3:21 remaining in the second quarter when Brown led a five-play, 57-yard drive culminating in a 15-yard rushing touchdown from Jeremiah Cobb.

Baylor promptly responded with its most efficient drive, going 75 yards in nine plays for a touchdown. Lagway connected with Louis Brown IV on a 14-yard touchdown pass, cutting the deficit to 10-7 before halftime.

Baylor capitalized off of an Auburn interception with a game-tying field goal midway through the fourth, and then Brown led the game-winning 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.

Brown finished 26-of-35 for 259 yards, with three interceptions, 27 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.

“I thought Byrum played really well. There's three plays he would tell you he wants back, and we'll take that in Week 1,” Golesh said. "I blame us more than Byrum. We tried to force some things to push it down the field."

Lagway was 27-of-54 for 333 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Lagway connected with Freeman for 154 yards and a touchdown.

Auburn: The Tigers repeatedly fell short on given opportunities. Baylor gave Auburn the ball five times between failed fourth down conversions, a missed field goal, a fumble and an interception. Auburn generated just three points off of those turnovers, punting three times and tossing an interception directly after the other four.

Baylor: Coach Dave Aranda's philosophy on fourth down didn't change over the offseason. After finishing third in the FBS in fourth-down attempts during the 2025 season, Baylor went for it five times and converted three attempts.

Auburn hosts Southern Miss on Saturday.

Baylor hosts Prairie View A&M on Saturday.

__

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here