Auburn's Dominant Rushing Attack Lifts Tigers Over Baylor Bears

The Auburn Tigers defeated the Baylor Bears in a massive Week One victory courtesy of a strong performance on the ground in Waco.

Damari Alston headlined Auburn's stable of running backs on Friday, rushing for 84 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

WACO, Tex. – The Auburn Tigers took down the Baylor Bears, 38-24, on a toasty Friday night in the Lone Star State, but they didn’t emerge victorious as most predicted heading into the matchup.

Many declared that Auburn’s elite wide receiver corps against Baylor’s supposed lackluster secondary was one of the most prominent advantages in favor of the Tigers. However, one of Auburn’s biggest uncertainties prevailed in its season opener, and the rushing attack proved to be superior to the Bears.

Jackson Arnold led the Tigers in rushing in Auburn's victory over Baylor, recording 137 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Auburn simply dominated Baylor on the ground on Friday, posting 307 rushing yards and four touchdowns total, marking the third time under head coach Hugh Freeze that the Tigers have rushed for over 300 yards. Auburn recorded 354 rushing yards at Arkansas in 2023 and 326 yards at Kentucky last season.

Outside of the quarterback position, one of the greatest question marks surrounding the offense was the running back room and how the Tigers planned to fill the shoes of former All-SEC first-teamer Jarquez Hunter. Well, Auburn may have demonstrated that the room is just fine.

Senior Damari Alston tallied 84 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries while junior Jeremiah Cobb recorded 74 and a single touchdown, also with 16 touches. The longest run between Alston and Cobb was just 11 yards, displaying the steady ability to rush consistently against Baylor’s defensive front throughout the entirety of the game.

Although Auburn’s top-two running backs combined for 158 yards and two touchdowns, Oklahoma transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold posed a  dangerous threat on the ground in his impressive first game in the orange and blue.

Arnold’s legs were deemed a nightmare for the Baylor defense, rushing 16 times for 137 yards and two touchdowns while averaging an impressive 8.6 yards per carry. His 137 yards on the ground set a career high for the junior and were the most rushing yards by an Auburn quarterback since Nick Marshall posted 214 at Tennessee in 2013. 

Jackson Arnold's @AuburnFootball debut:

🔶 108 Pass Yds
🔷 137 Rush Yds
🔶 2 TD
🔷 W at Baylor pic.twitter.com/aSQkX7F1G8

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) August 30, 2025

"I didn't expect to run that much," Arnold said. "But at the same time, I'm going to do what I have to do to figure out how to take what they gave us. I had to swallow my pride a little in the passing game." 

"With the receivers we have, that is very difficult for both of us," Freeze added at the end of Arnold’s statement. 

It also marked Arnold’s second 100+ yard rushing performance of his career, the first coming in Oklahoma’s 24-3 win over Alabama in the closing stages of last season, where he recorded 131 rushing yards on 25 carries.

The biggest strength of Arnold’s game is his dual-threat presence and ability to create  outside of the pocket, something Auburn did very well against the Bears. Fox Sports commentator Robert Griffin III even went as far as to make a comparison to former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Cam Newton due to Arnold’s productivity on the ground.

HAVE. A. DAY. @_JacksonArnold_ 😏

His second rushing touchdown of the day, 38-24 Auburn🔥 pic.twitter.com/CjwWq7q3yj

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) August 30, 2025

"In [fall] camp, we saw some plays where the refs blew the whistle a little bit early," Auburn center Connor Lew said. "So, we knew he had it in him. I mean, just having that extra element in the running game, we were excited to see it and for him to get a chance to showcase it tonight."

A solid rushing attack is a historic staple of Auburn football. Based on what fans saw Friday night, Freeze and the Tigers showcased that this year’s team is no different. Auburn’s perceived strength of the offense was its wide receivers, but a legitimate rushing attack could open up the Tigers’ passing game even more. An offense built with Auburn’s caliber of wideouts, accompanied by essentially three threats – maybe even four with Singleton – on the ground could be one of the nation’s best by the end of the season.

"It's gonna be different playing against more teams going forward," Alston said. "Good luck to them trying to stop the run." 

As Alston exited the postgame interview room, Alston had one last message for the media. 

"You remember the three things, right? Death, taxes, and Auburn running the football."