Auburn football started the 2025 season with a win, defeating Baylor 38-24 Friday night in Waco, Texas.
The Tigers controlled the majority of the game and Auburn coach Hugh Freeze was happy his group could pull it out in the end.
“We’re grateful that we could find a way to win against what I think is a very gritty, mature football team in Baylor. I hope they have a great year. I like Dave Aranda a lot. I thought their kids were gritty,” Freeze said postgame. “I thought it was a solid, solid effort, and just thankful we’re 1-0 against a pretty good football team.”
Let’s break down Auburn’s performance against Baylor:
Offense
Grade: A
Auburn’s offense totaled 415 total yards of offense without a single passing touchdown, rushing for 308 yards on the ground and four scores.
Auburn’s rushing attack was anchored by the performance of Auburn’s offensive line and Jackson Arnold’s incredible debut of 245 yards of total offense and two rushing touchdowns.
“I thought Jackson played solid and didn’t force hardly anything and just took what they gave us,” Freeze added. “They were determined to not let us throw it down the field. They played two high safeties the entire night, pretty much. Thus, the rushing.”
Auburn finished with no turnovers and only gave up one sack on Arnold all night. The Tigers also finished 3-of-3 when marked inside the red zone.
Defense
Grade: C
Auburn’s defense wasn’t as dominant as expected, giving up some big scoring plays for Baylor throughout the course of the game.
Auburn flourished on the biggest downs of the game, shutting down Baylor on fourth down attempts and red zone scoring opportunities. The Tigers also led the game with four sacks and five tackles for loss.
“We plan on doing that all season and have the mentality to win every game, so that’s our focus, that’s our goal,” Keyron Crawford said postgame.
Special Teams
Grade: C-
Rayshawn Pleasant’s 98-yard touchdown saved the grade for this group as that served as the final blow for Baylor.
Auburn’s special teams was good in the kicking portion of the game. However, the costly penalties accumulated at an alarming rate throughout the game.
The Tigers received three penalties for illegal formation on the punt team and were also penalized for making contact with a Baylor returner who had signaled for a fair catch.
Coaching
Grade: B
Auburn’s offensive gameplan to pound the ground game was genius as Baylor coach Dave Aranda had no answer for it.
To limit your wide receivers to no touchdowns and 108 yards through the air showed how dominant the Tigers’ rushing attack was Friday night.
“It was working for us. And our game plan is multiple, because you really don’t know how people are going to play you, and they have different flavors every week. But that’s certainly what we felt like was our best option tonight with what we were getting,” Freeze added.
Overall
Grade: B-
It was not perfect, but Auburn football got its first victory of the 2025 season.
Freeze walked off the field with a smile on his face and Arnold seems to be happy with his decision to transfer to Auburn.
Now, it’s still a long season ahead for the Tigers. However, Friday night’s victory was a sign in the right direction for this new look Auburn roster.
Jerry Humphrey III covers Auburn sports forAL.com. You can follow him on X at @Jerryhump3or email him at JHumphreyIII@al.com.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
