What Stands Out to Baylor's Aranda About Auburn's Offense

Baylor head coach Dave Aranda keyed on one trait of Auburn's offense that Friday's game may come down to.

Baylor head coach Dave Aranda believes stopping Auburn's rushing attack will be key on Friday. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Auburn Tigers running back Damari Alston spoke to the media on Tuesday, fielding questions about both his mindset and the state of the Auburn running game as the Tigers get ready to face the Baylor Bears on Friday. Alston seemed confident in both the running back room and the offensive line, two groups that Baylor head coach Dave Aranda said would be key to the matchup.

“I feel like we’re going against a pretty good team, a pretty good defense, a pretty disciplined team overall,” Alston said. “We’ve got to come out there and, you know, I feel like we’ve got a pretty good scheme for them. We’ve just got to come out there on Friday and execute, and you know we’ll get it done.”

The Auburn rushing attack, previously led by current NFL running backs Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter, has been a strength of the Tigers in recent seasons. This season, Alston is set to lead the room with Jeremiah Cobb and UConn transfer Durell Robinson close behind. 

The group will be running behind a revamped Tigers offensive line in 2025. Jeremiah Wright, Connor Lew and Dillon Wade all return on the interior, but Virginia Tech transfer Xavier Chaplin and USC transfer Mason Murphy will be taking over the two tackle positions. Despite the changes, Alston appears confident in the group.

“I’ve got no doubt [in the offensive line] at all,” Alston said. “We’re leaning on the run game. At away games, you know you’ve got to come in and run the ball. Pass blocking, run blocking, I feel like we’re good up front. We’re going to take care of business for sure.”

Auburn Tigers running back Damari Alston headlines the team's rushing attack in 2025. | John Reed-Imagn Images

However, on the other side of the matchup, Aranda has recognized the importance of stopping the Tigers’ run game. The former LSU and Wisconsin defensive coordinator is 4-1 in his career vs Auburn, with the lone loss coming in 2016 when Auburn defeated LSU 18-13. In his press conference on Monday, Aranda reiterated the importance of stopping the Auburn rushing attack.

“It’s going to come down to stopping the run and getting them to where they’ve got to throw it,” Aranda said. “That's the best thing they do. They're physical and they move people. They bump combos, so if this is a 3-technique, a guard posts him up, and then a tackle just comes, and that 3-technique is ejected. We can't allow that to be us.”

The Baylor defense is led by junior linebacker Keaton Thomas, an athletic and hard-hitting player who is a difference maker against the run. Thomas racked up 62 solo tackles and 106 total tackles in 2025 and was an elite lane filler for the Bears. He leads a Baylor linebacking core that is fairly experienced and less susceptible to play fakes than most Big 12 groups.

“From watching last year I feel like they’re physical and disciplined. They like to come down, and they like to hit a little bit. We’ve got to take it to them, for sure,” Alston said.

If the Auburn running game can be effective on Friday night, it will greatly decrease the pressure on new starter Jackson Arnold, and by extension the entire Tigers’ offense. A dynamic and multi-dimensional attack will be key to beating a team as talented as Baylor on the road, and the Auburn run game needs to be the first step in establishing that attack.

Kickoff between Auburn and Baylor on Friday 7 p.m. CT with television coverage slated to be on Fox.