Hugh Freeze is known for dialing up fireworks through the air. But in Auburn’s season-opener on Friday night, it was a punishing ground attack that stole the show.
The Tigers steamrolled Baylor 38–24 behind 307 rushing yards and a breakout performance from former Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold, who ran for 137 yards and two scores in his Auburn debut. The Tigers exploded for 24 points in the second and third quarters, taking control and never letting go.
For Auburn, it was a statement win. For the Big 12 — which also saw Colorado fall to Georgia Tech — it was a rough start to a season where the league hoped to make an early playoff push.
Here are some top takeaways from Friday night’s action.
Auburn’s rushing attack shines bright in season-opening win
In a game that loomed large for the future of Hugh Freeze at Auburn, his Tigers turned in a performance that was decidedly dominant in the most non-Hugh Freeze-like way: they ran the ball, and they ran it well.
With former Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold behind center, the Tigers defeated Baylor 38-24 while rushing for 307 yards at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas. Arnold led all rushers with 137 yards — at 8.6 yards per carry — and two touchdowns. In total, the Tigers roughed up the Bears with 416 total yards and 24 points in the second and third quarters alone.
Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson played well enough to win, completing 27 of 48 passes for 419 yards. Two of the three TDs he threw came on fourth-down plays, which bodes well for the Bears’ future if Dave Aranda can figure out how to put a lid back on the Bears’ end zone. And he’ll need to do so against two ranked opponents in the first month of the season, including No. 16 Southern Methodist and No. 11 Arizona State.
Auburn Tigers vs. Baylor Bears Highlights
Tarleton State gets the W and the bag
The Texans snapped Army’s 17-game winning streak with a 30-27 double-overtime win in West Point, New York. The loss was Army’s first to an FCS team in a decade (Fordham, 2015).
The win for Tarleton State was more impressive considering the Texans trailed the Black Knights 24-10 with 8:14 left in the third quarter. Army had previously won 60 of its last 62 games when leading at least 14 points.
The Black Knights were coming off a program-best 12-win season and will face No. 17 Kansas State next weekend, while Tarleton State takes the $250,000 Army paid them to play the game and the win.
Haynes King’s dual-threat performance fuels Yellow Jackets
Despite three turnovers in the first eight minutes of the game, Haynes King rushed for 156 yards and three TDs in a big-boy win for the Yellow Jackets on the road in Boulder, Colorado. He finished as both the leading rusher and passer in the game, completing 13 of 20 passes for 143 yards in the victory.
King’s performance was indicative of the kind of team Brent Key has built in Year 3 at the helm. His teams run the ball and run it well.
In his postgame press conference, Colorado coach Deion Sanders admitted that Georgia Tech didn’t do or show anything new. The Yellow Jackets were simply more physical than the Buffaloes. Georgia Tech ran for 320 yards and averaged a gaudy 6.8 yards per rush doing it.
Big 12 struggles out of the gate
The Big 12 lost two high-profile non-conference matchups on Friday against the ACC (Georgia Tech) and the SEC (Auburn). It’s a tough look for a Power 4 conference that would like to help create a playoff that guarantees more than one of its 16 teams gets into the tournament in the future.
While the chances of Georgia Tech and Auburn winning their respective conference titles aren’t great, the thought was that these Week 1 opportunities would’ve been one way for the Big 12 to bolster its playoff argument. Tonight, the league is further from its goal.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.
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