SAEDNEWS: Auburn defeated Baylor 38–24 in Waco, led by transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold’s 137 rushing yards and a punishing 307-yard team ground performance that the columnist Michael Casagrande described as taking Baylor “to the meat grinder.
According to SaedNews: Auburn opened its season with a physical 38–24 victory at Baylor, leaning on a relentless run game and a turnover-free performance that, in the view of Michael Casagrande, felt like an exorcism of recent failures.
Auburn turned in a statement road performance in Waco: QB Jackson Arnold rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns in his Auburn debut, and the Tigers finished with 307 rushing yards on 52 attempts — a ground domination that flipped the script from last season’s errors. Auburn also avoided giveaways and converted all three red-zone trips into scores.
The Tigers’ identity on Friday night was obvious — run, run, and run some more. Arnold (a transfer) led the charge with 137 of those rushing yards, while Damari Alston and Jeremiah Cobb also contributed efficiently on the ground. Auburn’s 52 rushing attempts were the backbone of a 7:16 game-sealing drive that finished with Arnold’s late touchdown.
While Auburn’s physical approach wore Baylor down, the Tigers did surrender 419 passing yards and allowed multiple explosive plays through the air — factors that kept the Bears in striking distance until the closing minutes. Crucial fourth-down stops and key defensive stands in the end zone, however, proved decisive.
In his column, Michael Casagrande framed the victory as more than a W — he wrote that Auburn “took Baylor to the meat grinder” and exorcised the ghosts of blown leads, turnovers and red-zone woes that had haunted recent seasons. That wording captures the feel of a team aiming to shed a loser’s mentality by winning the trench battles and finishing drives.
Auburn’s run-first performance answered several durability and identity questions early, but the pass defense will be a storyline to watch as the schedule intensifies. For now, the Tigers leave Waco with momentum and a clearer idea of how Hugh Freeze’s group plans to wear opponents down this season.
