Cadillac Williams looked over to his wife, Evan, and tried to recall the hours of respite he got this week.

Sleep was an estranged friend to Williams and the rest of Auburn’s coaching staff after the upheaval at the top of the program earlier in the week. Bryan Harsin was fired as head coach Monday, ousted after a subpar 21-game tenure, as were six other staff members, including offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Eric Kiesau and tight ends coach Brad Bedell. Williams was tabbed as interim coach, and the rest of Auburn’s offensive assistants reshuffled and added to their roles during a makeshift week of preparation for the Tigers’ game at Mississippi State.

Read more Auburn football: Grading Auburn’s 39-33 loss to Mississippi State, Cadillac Williams’ coaching debut

Auburn players share where, how they found out about Bryan Harsin’s firing

Even in defeat, Auburn didn’t blink in Cadillac Williams “special night”

Williams ran on about six hours of sleep between Monday night and Thursday. He and the rest of the coaching staff, particularly those on the offensive side of the ball, burned the midnight oil at Auburn’s athletics complex, working nightly until 1 or 2 a.m. Williams finally got about four hours of sleep Friday, on the eve of his head coaching debut, after the gameplan was fully in place.

“We were scrambling,” Williams said. “When you practice an offense one way for eight weeks and then you get a bombshell hit on you like that — now you’re trying to coordinate calling it and everything that goes into it.”

Along with Williams’ promotion to interim coach of his alma mater, every remaining member of Auburn’s offensive staff had a new job to do this week. Offensive line coach Will Friend and wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard shared offensive coordinator duties, developing an offensive gameplan together while also navigating a play-sheet and calling an offense that wasn’t inherently theirs.

At one point in the game, when Auburn’s defense was on the field and after a timeout, Friend found a spot behind the injury tent on the Tigers’ sideline and sat down on a cooler, intently poring over the play-sheet, studying it and familiarizing himself with all the calls at his disposal.

With Friend splitting the play-calling assignment with Hilliard, offensive analyst Kendall Simmons assumed the role as offensive line coach. Joe Bernardi took over the tight end room. Mike Hartline oversaw the quarterbacks, and Jeff McDaniels helped out with running backs to ease the load off Williams.

“We lost most of the offensive staff — they got let go,” edge defender Derick Hall said. “Guys had to step up. It’s just like when a player goes down, another player steps up…. Guys stepped up. Coaches stepped up and really prepared us to go out and be successful today. Everybody just stuck together. That was the biggest thing — sticking together and playing for each other this week. And I really feel like we did that tonight.”

The process wasn’t always pretty, but the results provided optimism for a program in need of it. Auburn fell behind by 21 points in the second quarter but rallied, scoring 22 unanswered and twice taking the lead in the fourth quarter against Mississippi State. The Tigers ultimately fell in overtime, 39-33, but considering the circumstances of the game and everything that led up to it, Auburn’s coaching staff adapted admirably on the fly.

The Tigers, who struggled to make second-half adjustments offensively under Harsin, scored 27 second-half points Saturday — their most in the second half of a game this season. Auburn’s 27 points after halftime matched or exceeded the team’s scoring output in six of its previous eight games this year. The team’s rally from down 21 points was also its biggest comeback in a game since erasing a 12-point deficit in a win against Georgia State last week.

“I told them, forget the scoreboard,” Williams said. “We’re going to keep fighting, keep punching.”

Auburn displayed impressive resiliency in the face of adversity, not just with a makeshift offensive gameplan, but with a resolute defensive effort after some early struggles against the Air Raid. After Mississippi State extended its lead to 24-3 on a 92-yard kickoff return touchdown in the second quarter, Auburn’s defense clamped down for much of the rest of the night. The Bulldogs’ next nine possessions included four punts—including three three-and-outs—a turnover on downs, three turnovers and just 64 yards.

Auburn’s three takeaways in its first game after Harsin’s firing were more than the Tigers had in any of Harsin’s 21 games as head coach. It was the first time Auburn forced three turnovers in a game since the 2020 against LSU.

“(Williams) is trying and he’s doing his best — and he’s doing a damn good job,” defensive back Jaylin Simpson said. “I think our performance tonight showed a lot of what he’s been pouring into us. The main message is to serve and believe. We were out there serving, and he’s been pouring his belief into us. We really believed we could win that game. It showed. We didn’t get the results we wanted, but Coach Lac has been doing a real good job.”

Auburn’s hopes of an upset—and what would have been one of the most symbolic, meaningful wins in recent memory—fell short in overtime. Mississippi State kicked a game-tying field goal with 29 seconds to play, and then the Bulldogs walked it off with a touchdown in the extra period to send Auburn to its fifth straight loss.

The Tigers were far from perfect Saturday, with an absent passing game and a slew of special teams miscues, and Williams shouldered the blame for any shortcomings. It wasn’t any delirium from his lack of sleep throughout the week, but rather a heartfelt ownership of his team’s issues during a week of tumult and uncertainty.

“I told these coaches early in the week, when I got named interim head coach, I done been around Auburn; Auburn is about the people within those walls, and in times like this, these kids need our leadership,” Williams said. “They need us, whether they know it or not. They need us, and not just presentation of us just speaking it; our actions got to show. They got to feel that we care for them, and I honestly — the way that we came together, what a rocket week, man.

“For these kids to go out there and play ball like that — man, I’m honored to be those guys’ coach. Truly honored. Wouldn’t want to do it with no other group or coaches than what I just experienced with those guys.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.