Alex Golesh, Joel Gordon analyze Byrum Brown's 3 interceptions vs. Baylor

Auburn head coach Alex Golesh said he thought starting quarterback Byrum Brown played 'really well,' against Baylor, despite Brown's three interceptions. It was the first three-interception game of Brown's college career and Golesh put much of the blame of himself and the offensive staff postgame. Golesh continued to take ownership when speaking to reporters on Monday after having a chance to watch the film. 'I think sometimes we try to kind of make things happen a little bit, and it's just how it shook out,' Golesh said. 'Byrum owned every bit of it, and I owned every bit of it.' Golesh credited Brown's ability to quickly move on from the mistakes, which was needed late in the game. Brown ultimately helped secure the win for Auburn after leading a 75-yard drive that was capped off by his 11-yard touchdown run to win the game. Joel Gordon, Auburn's offensive coordinator, said all three interceptions by Brown are correctable. The first one came on a deep shot down the field, where Gordon said Baylor threw an un-scouted look at Auburn in coverage. 'The backside corner made a great play,' Gordon said. 'When you get the right look, it should be a big play. When they're not there, you've got to be willing to check the football down. We talk about that all the time. It just wasn't executed. Wasn't executed at that point.' Brown's second interception was the most avoidable. It came in the final 20 seconds of the first half, where he was trying to push the ball downfield on third-and-long. A run play or a short check down would have set Auburn up for a manageable field goal, but instead, the turnover meant the Tigers didn't get any points before the half. Golesh mentioned that the pass was tipped, but both he and Gordon would likely agree that the play was unnecessary. 'The one in the red zone, right before halftime is just trying to do too much,' Gordon said. 'Got to stay in rhythm there and keep moving in a progression. Probably check that ball down, and it probably goes for 10 or 12 yards on the other side of the field.' The third interception was another example of Auburn trying to create an explosive play, this time on a first down in the fourth quarter. Golesh thought the read and the throw from Brown were good, but the backside safety read the play and made a nice play on the ball. That interception allowed Baylor to tie the game at 10 and kept the Tigers' defense on the field for longer than it needed to be. Neither Golesh nor Gordon is worried about Brown going forward, but both recognize that the turnovers have to be cleaned up. Southern Miss might not be able to punish Auburn for them, but most SEC teams will. 'All of them are correctable, without a doubt,' Gordon said. 'We all take responsibility for it. At the end of the day, we've got to be better. You can't win that way.'