Takeaways from Baylor's season-opening loss to Auburn
The Baylor Bears and Auburn Tigers met in McLane Stadium for a Friday night showdown that did not disappoint. Both teams came into this game expecting to win, and after a bit of a slow start, these two traded blows throughout the night. In the end, it was the Tigers who made enough plays on both sides of the ball to take home the win.
Here are my takeaways from tonight's game.
Michael Trigg could lead the team in targets
In 2024, Michael Trigg had a very solid season, catching 30 passes for 395 yards and three touchdowns, but everyone knew there was more in the tank. All the talk about this offseason has been about Sawyer Robertson, Bryson Washington and Baylor's receivers, but Trigg didn't get the attention he deserved.
Tonight, Trigg showed why he's going to be playing on Sundays very soon. He was Robertson's favorite target all night. He was targeted 16 times and caught seven passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. He may have dropped that touchdown late in the game, but he still had an amazing night for the Bears.
Trigg is going to be a massive part of this offense moving forward, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if he leads the team in targets.
Rushing defense needs to improve
Last year, Baylor's defense was bad in pretty much every area, but especially so against the run. They gave up 156 rushing yards per game to their opponents in 2024, and despite some new additions to their front seven, they were horrible against the run tonight.
Auburn ran the ball 52 times for 307 yards (137 by Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold) and four touchdowns against the Bears tonight. They averaged 5.9 yards per carry and just completely torched the Bears on the ground. Auburn's offensive line had their way with Baylor's defensive line, and that just cannot happen in the future if they want to compete for the Big 12 title.
Dave Aranda is going to have to find a way to fix this Baylor run defense. They were actually pretty good against the pass tonight, which was a bit surprising considering Auburn's receivers, so if they can figure out how to defend the run, they could have a solid defense in 2025.
Kole Wilson's Baylor debut was a success
One of the biggest players Baylor grabbed out the transfer portal was Texas State transfer Kole Wilson. In two years with Texas State, Wilson totaled nearly 1,400 yards and 12 touchdowns, and the hope was he'd come in and compliment Josh Cameron and Ashtyn Hawkins. I think it's safe to say he exceeded expectations.
Wilson caught eight passes for 134 yards in his debut with the Bears. He had more yards and targets than Cameron and Hawkins combined, and was easily Baylor's most efficient receiver. If he keeps playing at this level, Sawyer Robertson is going to have a massive season.
Baylor's offense is going to be just fine
The first half was a bit concerning for Baylor's high-powered offense. They could only put 10 points on the board, and outside of a couple drives, things just looked difficult for Sawyer Robertson and Co.
Luckily for Bears fans, they were able to turn things around in the second half. They looked like the Baylor offense we saw at the end of last year, scoring on two (should've been three) of their four second half drives. While the result of tonight's game might not have been what they hoped, their offense is going to be just fine and should be one of the best in the Big 12.
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Luke is a writer for the Baylor Bears On SI. He's an LSU graduate and previously covered the Tigers for two years. He also covers the New Orleans Saints and Formula 1. Luke's passion for sports and storytelling led him to become a sports writer.