Football is finally back. Auburn headed to Waco to open the 2025 with a rare Friday night road game to battle the Baylor Bears. The Tigers came out victorious thanks to a heroic day on the ground from Jackson Arnold. Nice to see in his first game under centre for Auburn, leading them to a pivotal first victory of the early fall.
Here are three good things, and three bad from Friday night’s victory. As always, Auburn won the game…
So we start with the good…
1. Special Teams:
In 2024, Auburn’s special teams left a lot to be desired, converting on only 5 of their 21 field goal attempts. Although they didn’t line up for any field goal tries against Baylor, Auburn made all their extra point attempts, and the teams effort was highlighted by a 98 yard kickoff return touchdown, which helped shift momentum in Auburn’s 38-24 victory in Waco.
The long return came just after a methodical Baylor drive, which spanned 13 plays and ended in a touchdown. Baylor had seemingly regained the momentum, marching the ball at will for 78 yards and the score to top it off, but not so fast. On the ensuing Baylor kickoff, newcomer Rayshawn Pleasant took the kick back 98 yards for the touchdown, completely tilting the momentum of the game back in Auburn’s favour and making a name for himself in a good way throughout the Auburn fanbase.
The return came right at the end of the third quarter, in a very pivotal moment of the game when Auburn seemed to be losing momentum on the road. Last season it seemed to be a common theme that after losing momentum things would continue to snowball downhill for the Tiger’s, but not this time. Thanks in part to Pleasant’s return where he showed off elite speed, Auburn was able to secure the victory in this one.
2. Jackson Arnold’s legs:
Jackson Arnold, who was recently lauded as a 5-star QB in the 2023 recruiting class thanks to his passing prowess, decided to showcase his running ability in this one, weaving through Baylor’s defense en route to a total of 137 yards on the ground.
Whether it be on designed QB runs or quarterback scrambles, Arnold sliced through Baylor’s defense seemingly with ease on Friday, showing an element to his game that hadn’t yet been discovered, save for a 131 rushing performance for the Sooners last season against Alabama.
Arnold took what he was given on the ground on this one, as Baylor’s defense didn’t seem to adjust or have an answer to his explosive rushing attack. Good to see.
3. Offensive Coaching/Game Plan:
I was hard on Freeze last year, thinking his playcalling and different play callers for different downs on offense was silly, sporadic, and cause for major concern.
Over the summer in the offseason before the 2025 season there was more chatter about Freeze relinquishing playcalling duties, which I wasn’t thrilled about. To my pleasant surprise, the playcalling was spectacular in this one.
Freeze had trouble sticking to the run last season, and it seemed he learned his lesson, because he really leaned on a potent offensive line to pound the rock for over 300 yards rushing in this one. Only 100 yards through there air for pass happy head coach might hurt, but I’m sure he prefers the W in the win column. Great win on the road.
Now for the bad…
1. Pass Defense:
Lauded as one of, if not the most talented and experienced unit on Auburn’s roster, the secondary as a whole didn’t play that way on Friday night. Chalk it up to early season jitters, players gelling together and learning the scheme, Baylor having a ton of pass attempts, whatever excuse you want; Auburn’s pass defense did not play well. Period.
Amassing 48 passing attempts, Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson finished with almost 420 yards through the air alone, having his way with an Auburn secondary that had no answers for the potent Baylor passing attack.
It seemed as though Auburn had no answer for Baylor receiver Michael Trigg, as he was constantly open over the middle and gained some significant yards after the catch thanks to some poor tackling on Auburn’s end.
Trigg managed to find the endzone in the fourth quarter, finishing the day with 99 yards on 7 catches. Although it felt like it, Trigg wasn’t actually Baylor’s leading receiver stats wise in this game. That nod goes to Kole Wilson, who didn’t end up finding pay dirt but caught 8 targets for a hefty 134 yards.
To add the cherry on top, familiar face Kobe Prentice added to Auburn’s third and fourth down woes that plagued them so consistently last season, catching a 38-yard touchdown on a fourth and long play in the second quarter. Prentice spent 3 seasons with in-state rival Alabama before transferring to suit up for Baylor. Different jersey, but still giving the Tiger’s nightmares.
In all, it wasn’t a banner day for the pass defense. Sawyer Robertson had his way through the air and just when it felt that Auburn was taking control of the game, their lacklustre pass defense would let Baylor back in it, giving them life. The secondary as a whole will have to improve heading into SEC play, where they’ll face off against some quarterbacks who will be eager to expose Auburn’s defense after watching their film against Baylor.
2. Penalties:
There are few things more frustrating than pre-snap, drive extending (on defense), and drive hampering (on offense) penalties. These are often avoidable calls that are mental errors, but can nevertheless severely impact games, hindering a team’s ability to find any rhythm and have success moving the ball. Conversely, while on defense, penalties give an already talented offense “free” yards that they don’t have to earn, keeping the defense on their heels for most of the game.
Two false starts in a row by offensive linemen on the second offensive series was mind numbingly frustrating. I know this is the “bad” section but an underrated play in the game was the Jackson Arnold scramble to convert the first down and extend that drive on third down, which would have meant two 3 and outs in a row if it wasn’t for Arnold’s rushing ability.
Add in a couple of special teams penalties, including a holding penalty and a kick catch interference infraction by Reed Hughes, both committed on the same play, and you might find yourself wanting to pull your hair out as a fan. Auburn ended up committing a total of 9 penalties for 83 yards. Need to be more disciplined.
3. The Start:
I will give the passing offense a pass (no pun intended) in this one, as the Tigers were able to run the ball so effectively, and will instead touch upon the lacklustre start here. I know slow starts are expected to begin the season, and add in the fact they were playing on the road made it less surprising, but Baylor certainly came out with more passion and energy in this one.
Although they only managed 3 points, Baylor reached the red zone on their first two drives of the game. Save for a fourth down incompletion on their second drive, they could have been on top 14-0 early.
On offense, Auburn started the game with a quick three and out, and followed that up with the aforementioned false start fiasco on their second possession. The Tigers ended up finding the end zone on that drive, but the fact remains that it did not start well.
I know it’s a cliché, but starting “on time” matters. The game is 60 minutes and that sounds like a ton of time, but each possession is meaningful. If they would have gone down 14-0 in this one on the road, that completely changes the complexion of this game. Luckily they didn’t, and the Tigers were able to settle down and find their rhythm.
Auburn is 1-0. Starting the season on the road is never easy, and never apologize for a win. Baylor was a formidable opponent, hoping to be a force in the Big 12 this season and earn a berth in the College Football Playoff.
The Tigers went on the road into a hostile environment and leaned on their formidable rushing attack to clinch a dominant victory. The Auburn offense was the definition of efficient, with three separate players notching 16 carries in quarterback Jackson Arnold, as well as running backs Damari Alston and Jeremiah Cobb.
It was good to see Auburn reestablish their dominant ground game which has seemingly gone cold the last few years, and it’s always great to win the first one.
Next up is their home opener under the lights in Jordan Hare Stadium.
Long season… onto the next.
As always… War Eagle!
