Inside The Bears

Key Matchups: Baylor vs. Auburn in a massive Week 1 showdown

Breaking down some of the key on-field faceoffs that could determine Friday's primetime matchup

Josh Crawford

Baylor CB Tevin Williams (left) and Auburn WR Cam Coleman
Baylor CB Tevin Williams (left) and Auburn WR Cam Coleman / Via: Baylor, Auburn Athletics
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Football games are often won in the margins, and more often than not, those margins come down to individual matchups. With Baylor set to open the season under the Friday night lights against Auburn, several critical flashpoints across the field will help decide whether the Bears start 2025 with a statement win or an uphill climb. From Auburn’s new-look receiving corps testing Baylor’s secondary, to trench battles that could determine the tempo on both sides, to a quarterback storyline too compelling to ignore, these one-on-one (and in some cases, unit-vs-unit) showdowns will shape the outcome. This is the first installment of our Key Matchups series for the Baylor football in 2025, breaking down where the game within the game will be won -- or lost.

Auburn WRs Cam Coleman & Eric Singleton vs. Baylor CBs Tevin Williams & Caden Jenkins 

Tevin Williams told the media during fall camp that he knew his unit needed to be better, and that they were focused on creating more takeaways and PBUs, and Week 1 would be a big-time proving ground for a secondary that has to be improved for this team to hit its goals in 2025. The secondary might get a boost, with Eric Singleton not being 100% heading into this game. But Williams, who put up a 71.8 PFF coverage grade last season, has to set the tone for this secondary, especially with the increasing likelihood that Carl Williams IV will be out for Friday. Williams, the senior and surefire tackler, would be more suited to handle 1-on-1s with Singleton, Auburn’s most productive receiver and their starting H/slot receiver, ensuring that Singleton doesn’t take those underneath slants and drag routes and turn them into chunk plays after the catch.

Meanwhile, at 6’2 and arms for days, Jenkins would be best disrupting the 6’5 Coleman at the catch point, and running stride for stride with him on downfield shot plays like go-routes, posts, and corners. Arnold hasn’t had weapons like this in his collegiate career, and I expect him to utilize them early and often, so it will be a full four-quarter battle for both the corners, as well as nickel DJ Coleman and safeties Tyler Turner and Devyn Bobby, to corral the talented duo, along with talented sophomore Malcolm Simmons. Not to be overly complimentary, but with the receiver corps this talented, you’re not going to completely contain them. The main goal should be to limit explosive plays and not let one position group win the entire game for Auburn. 

ADVANTAGE: Auburn 

Auburn DE Keldric Faulk vs. Baylor OTs Sidney Fugar & Kaden Sieracki 

Faulk, who is quickly flying up draft boards after a massively productive season as a true sophomore, is the linchpin for this Auburn front seven. With seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss, Faulk can put offenses behind the chains with his deadly speed-to-power combination, or, shut down short-yardadge conversions in the run game with his 285-pound frame. Faulk, while one of the best defenders in college football, is one of the only proven returners on this Tiger defense, so limiting Faulk’s impact could go a long way in terms of putting together explosive plays on the ground and through the air for Baylor. The good news for the Bears is that starting left tackle Sidney Fugar is arguably the best offensive lineman of the five starters, and perhaps the most equipped to handle Faulk, as someone who transitioned from guard last season and can theoretically deal with Faulk’s power-based game better than a long, lanky, tackle barely touching 300 pounds.

Faulk, who rushes off both sides, will be a much more difficult assignment for Kaden Sieracki, who goes into the year in his first year as a full-time starter after starting three games last season at both tackle spots. At a towering 6’9, Sieracki has the length to keep Faulk from turning the corner on him pass rushing, but he’ll need to be able to anchor down and not allow Faulk to play through his chest. If he can, then Baylor is well-equipped to get into a potential shootout with Auburn. If not, Auburn will have a down-to-down X-factor capable of ending a Baylor offensive drive at any moment 

ADVANTAGE: Auburn 

RB Bryson Washington vs. LBs Demarcus Riddick & Robert Woodyard

Washington broke out as the workhorse Baylor desperately needed down the stretch last season, closing the year with back-to-back 100-yard games and cementing himself as Jake Spavital’s featured back in 2025. He’s a patient runner with enough burst to exploit the smallest of creases, and Baylor will lean on him early to keep the chains moving and prevent Auburn’s pass rush from pinning its ears back. With that, along with the interior guys on the defensive, it’ll be Riddkick and Woodyard, Auburn’s starting linebackers, tasked with corralling Washington. Riddick, the former five-star and SEC freshman All-American, is already a sideline-to-sideline head hunter who plays fast and may already be the Tigers’ most talented backer, with 27 tackles and three sacks in his true freshman campaign.

Meanwhile Woodyard, the starting MIKE, brings more experience and physicality, but not a ton of production in his previous three seasons at Auburn. If Washington can consistently get to the second level and force those two into open-field tackling situations, Baylor’s offense will be in rhythm. But if Riddick and Woodyard can stonewall him behind the line, they’ll make Baylor one-dimensional and put the full weight of the game on Sawyer Robertson’s arm. However, I think that, especially with Auburn’s first game on the road and a largely unproven front seven, I expect Riddick and Woodyard won’t be too much of a deterrence for the 1,000-yard back 

ADVANTAGE: Baylor

Auburn QB Jackson Arnold vs. Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson

Usually, these matchups are reserved for guys that will actually be facing off against each other on the field, but the storylines on these two are too much to pass up. The former five-star looking to redeem himself after an unceremonious exit. The fifth-year senior, Mike Leech’s last hand-picked quarterback recruit, looking to launch himself to potential NFL stardom after taking the starting role mid-season last year. Arnold (seemingly) has a lot of talent, but between his tenure at Oklahoma, some not-so-perfect videos coming out of camp for Auburn, and our sitdown with Auburn on SI publisher Scott Kennedy (which was NOT a rave review of Arnold), it all suggests that Arnold may have been simply overrated coming out of high school.

Meanwhile, Sawyer Robertson was one of five quarterbacks in the country who ended last season with a QBR over 80, and the personnel in Baylor’s receiver room gets them a high-end explosive ceiling for 2025. Now, Hugh Freeze’s offensive system and quarterbacking guru-ing has made both Malik Willis and Chad Kelly NFL draft picks, so it figures to give Arnold somewhat of an artificial boost. However, I see this as an area where Baylor has a not-so-small advantage, and that advantage could be the determining the outcome of this game 

ADVANTAGE: Baylor 

- Enjoy more Baylor Bears coverage on Baylor Bears On SI -

More News:

Staff predictions: Baylor football vs. Auburn Tigers

Fox Sports' Joel Klatt predicts the outcome between Baylor and Auburn on Friday

My best bet for Auburn vs. Baylor in Week 1

Breaking down Baylor: Jackson Arnold's take on the Bears' 'simulated pressure'

Three keys to a Baylor win over Auburn

Baylor Football: Behind enemy lines with the Auburn Tigers

For additional coverage of Baylor University Athletics

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Josh Crawford
JOSH CRAWFORD

Josh began covering Baylor athletics in July 2025. Before this, he previously wrote for Syracuse men's basketball and football at SI from 2022-24. As a former Division I defensive lineman at Prairie View, Josh is passionate about storytelling from a former athlete's perspective. When he's not covering Baylor, he enjoys traveling, listening to podcasts and music, and loves cooking a good meal.

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