Hugh Freeze had a massive decision on his hands: with Auburn leading Baylor by seven with 4:32 to go, the Tigers faced 4th-and-1 at the Bears' 27-yard line. Should the Auburn head coach risk a field goal attempt by either Alex McPherson or Towns McGough, or should he go for it?
Jackson Arnold and his legs answered that question emphatically. The quarterback, making his first start for the Tigers, went untouched into the end zone for his second rushing touchdown to put Auburn up by 14 points and in control.
“Coach Freeze just asked me what play I wanted and I told him, ‘Just give me the ball and let’s run it.’ We did and we did score,” Arnold told FOX Sports.
It was a microcosm of what the Tigers did on the ground against the Bears, finishing with 307 rushing yards as a revamped offensive line and a combination of Arnold, Damari Alston and Jeremiah Cobb plowed over the Baylor defense.
"We've been working our butt off all summer," Arnold said.
The transfer from Oklahoma got the ball rolling for the Tigers with a 24-yard touchdown run that capped a 96-yard drive by Auburn after the defense caused a 4th-down stop. One possession later, Alston took it to pay dirt from nine yards out to give Auburn a 14-3 lead.
Alex McPherson hit a field goal on the next possession to make it 17-3. Baylor responded, hitting a wide-open Kobe Prentice for 33 yards on 4th-and-8 to get back into the game.
After trading punts to begin the second half, Auburn struck first as Jeremiah Cobb finished a nine-play, 71-yard drive with a touchdown from two yards out. The Bears struck again on fourth down, this time from four yards to cut the score to seven.
It didn't last long, as Rayshawn Pleasant returned the ensuing kickoff for 98 yards for a touchdown.
The Bears cut the score to 31-24 with a touchdown before Arnold's run late in the fourth quarter. The quarterback finished with a team-high 137 yards on the ground while completing 11-of-17 passes for 108 yards.
Auburn (1-0) returns to Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday, August 6, as the Tigers host Ball State at 6:30 p.m. CT.