Byrum Brown, Auburn Football ‘Can’t Wait’ for Saturday Matchup With Baylor

After months upon months of preparation, the Auburn Tigers are finally ready to head to Atlanta for the opening game of their 2026 football season, a matchup with the Baylor Bears. Last season, Hugh Freeze’s Tigers took down the Bears 38-24, and this year’s Tigers are looking to replicate that success.

In fact, the team is quite excited for the opportunity, according to the team’s quarterback, Byrum Brown.

“I can’t wait,” Brown said. “Simply, I can’t wait to just go out there and play ball. A lot of the guys, they can’t wait. It’s just a long time coming, feels like, and I’m excited.”

The excitement certainly makes sense for Brown in particular, who is typically a very contact-heavy player but has been limited to little or no contact throughout the offseason; however, the Baylor game will be his first chance to get one of his patented ‘run him over’ rushes.

Brown’s last season-opener was a very strong one, as his USF Bulls beat the Boise State Broncos, 34-7, on the back of a very strong day from Brown. In addition to running a Bronco safety over (completely unnecessarily) on his way to a touchdown rush, Brown totaled 210 passing yards on two-thirds completion, though the only touchdowns he scored were with his legs.

That matchup also gives us a bit of an idea of how new Auburn head coach Alex Golesh approaches these games, as, famously, the Bulls faked a punt in that game, resulting in a touchdown. The Tigers may not be so aggressive against Baylor, but Tiger fans should keep in mind that Golesh has a bit of trickery in his back pocket if he needs it.

If Brown is to improve in any way from last year’s season-opener, he would likely want to come out of the gate with a much stronger passing game, as he did not throw a single touchdown in that matchup, in which his offense totaled over 30 points. With that said, he improved dramatically on that front throughout the season, so he should be in a strong spot this Saturday.

Regardless of history, though, the fact remains that the Tigers’ first matchup is now less than four days away, and the excitement on the Plains is palpable as the Tigers gear up for what could end up being one of the bigger rebound seasons in program history.

The Auburn Tigers are set to face off against the Baylor Bears this Saturday, Sep. 5, at 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be played in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium and broadcast on ABC.

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