Here’s the bottom line: the Auburn Tigers proved themselves worthy of SEC Championship contention on Friday night when they defeated Baylor 38-24.
After an offseason littered with harsh criticism from the media, Hugh Freeze’s audacious triple-headed play calling strategy paired with two years of exceptional recruiting led to a win over one of the Big 12’s premier teams. For a once-great program that hasn’t broken six wins in the past five seasons, overcoming Baylor in Waco, Texas is a step in the right direction.
But the victory wasn’t without error.
Baylor might not have won against the Tigers, but they exposed Auburn’s greatest weakness. While the Tigers may have great offensive potential—as long as Jackson Arnold learns to use his arm—Friday night proved that Auburn’s secondary is chewed with holes. Auburn’s defensive backs were consistently outplayed by Baylor’s receivers. Oklahoma’s Brent Venables, who faces Auburn on September 20th, should be sending Dave Aranda a thank you letter.
Baylor seniors Kole Wilson and Michael Trigg led the Bears’ receiving efforts and managed over half of the team’s total receptions. Together, they helped Sawyer Robertson total a whopping 419 passing yards—a statistic that should stand out to Auburn defenders for all the wrong reasons. The experienced quarterback made the most of Auburn’s frail secondary, and he proved himself as one of the Big 12’s finest talents.
Auburn’s Kayin Lee and Jay Crawford, who were high performers during the Tigers’ fall camp, were outmatched against Baylor’s Kole Wilson and Ashtyn Hawkins—receivers who used their speed to break away from the Auburn defenders. Wilson totaled eight receptions and 134 yards. Auburn’s Lee allowed one reception while Crawford allowed three. In addition to the unnecessary penalties tacked onto the Tigers’ defense, Auburn’s secondary played below average in their season opener.
Baylor superstar Michael Trigg was a mismatch for the Tigers’ secondary. The 6’4, 240lb redshirt senior averaged 14.1 yards per reception. His late-game touchdown over Auburn safety Kensley Louidor-Faustin at the start of the fourth quarter helped Baylor come within one score of the Tigers and would have tied the game if not for Rayshawn Pleasant’s miraculous 98-yard kick return on the previous drive.
“Just little things, nothing we can’t do,” said Pleasant after the game. “Little details and playing to our standard. That just comes with continuing to work every day, build reps and just continue to stack days.”
Auburn’s defense isn’t without hope. Their run defense was exceptional, only allowing 64 rushing yards. Throughout much of the first half, the Tigers’ talented secondary stayed stride for stride with Baylor’s receivers. It wasn’t until former Alabama receiver Kobe Prentice outmaneuvered Auburn defenders and scored a 33-yard touchdown near the end of the second quarter that the efficiency of Auburn’s defense was called into question.
“I have to go back and talk to my strength staff—I thought we were a little tired,” Hugh Freeze said postgame. “I don’t know if it was the heat or if we didn’t prepare exactly right for it, but I thought we looked a little sluggish, and to see us fight through that and find a way to get a win and against a good opponent to open the year… we can really build upon it. Because I know we can play better than we did tonight. And so we have to look at ourselves and the way we prepared them and kind of evaluate, you know what? I know we weren't as fast as I've seen us be tonight, and I'll take a hard look at that for sure.”
The Tigers have time to fix their mistakes. With games against Ball State on September 6th and South Alabama on September 13th, Auburn will have opportunities to test run their secondary against less-capable opponents before they enter SEC play.
Auburn’s next true test come against the Sooners in mid-September:a matchup that will pit the Tigers’ new signal caller against his alma mater. Until then, Freeze will have time to celebrate his season-opening victory, assess what went wrong, and rework the mechanics of his secondary. If Auburn is going to make a run for the SEC Championship—and achieve Jackson Arnold’s season expectations—adjustments are an order.