Dominance in the Trenches: Auburn Runs Through Baylor in Statement Season Opener
WACO, TX – Auburn didn’t need flash. They brought force. In a 38–24 season-opening win over Baylor on Friday night, the Tigers didn’t just beat the Bears—they imposed their identity. It was physical, it was methodical, and it was exactly the kind of performance Hugh Freeze needed to show this program is finally turning a corner.
The final score might read like a typical Week 1 back-and-forth, but it wasn’t. Auburn controlled this game where it mattered—on the ground, on third and fourth down, and on special teams. While Baylor lit up the stat sheet through the air, Auburn lit up the scoreboard with a punishing, 307-yard rushing performance that set the tone from the second quarter on.
The star of the night? Quarterback Jackson Arnold.
Making his debut after transferring from Oklahoma, Arnold wasn’t asked to throw the Tigers to victory—he ran them there. He carried the ball 16 times for 137 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-sealing, back-breaking 27-yard score on a fourth-and-1 late in the fourth quarter. It was a broken play that turned into a statement run, and a perfect snapshot of what makes Arnold dangerous: the arm is real, but the legs are a problem right now.
He had help. Auburn’s backs did their part and then some. Damari Alston rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown. Jeremiah Cobb added 74 yards and another score. Together with Arnold, the trio piled up 295 yards and four touchdowns. No gimmicks. Just running downhill behind a retooled offensive line that held up against a Big 12 front and dictated the tempo.
On the other side, Baylor threw everything it had. Quarterback Sawyer Robertson put up 419 yards and three touchdowns through the air, but it wasn’t enough. The Bears couldn’t get anything going on the ground—just 64 rushing yards total—and once they fell behind, the offense turned one-dimensional. Auburn’s defense didn’t shut down Baylor, but they stood up when it counted. The Tigers recorded four sacks, including a key one from Keldric Faulk in the fourth quarter, and held Baylor to just 3-of-6 on fourth-down attempts. Two of those failed conversions led directly to Auburn points.
Defensive end Keyron Crawford had a standout night, tying his career high with seven tackles and notching a sack. The Tigers gave up yards, sure—but they didn’t give up control.
Then came the knockout punch. After Baylor cut the lead to 24–17 in the third, momentum seemed to be shifting. But on the ensuing kickoff, Auburn’s Rayshawn Pleasant erased that idea in 13 seconds, taking it 98 yards to the house for a backbreaking touchdown that silenced McLane Stadium and gave Auburn a two-score lead they’d never lose.
From that point on, Auburn leaned on its run game, controlled the clock (holding the ball for over 33 minutes), and iced the game with Arnold’s second touchdown run to cap off a drive that burned nearly seven minutes of game time.
This was a tone-setter.
It wasn’t a shootout, and it wasn’t perfect. But it was Auburn football the way Freeze wants it to look—physical up front, explosive in space, and smart in the biggest moments. The Tigers outgained Baylor on the ground 307 to 64, won special teams, and made key defensive stops late.
If this team stays healthy and Arnold keeps growing into the role, Auburn’s ceiling in 2025 might be higher than anyone expected.