Jackson Arnold didn’t take long to show Auburn fans what he could do — with his feet, not his arm.
The Oklahoma transfer who just didn’t work out during his 2 seasons in Norman transferred to Auburn to get a fresh start. On Friday night, in his Auburn debut in a true road game at Baylor, with the national TV bright lights flashing on FOX, Arnold took matters into his own hands in giving the Tigers a 7-3 lead late in the first quarter.
With Auburn trailing 3-0 and searching for a spark, Arnold dropped back, surveyed the scene and saw he had nothing going in the passing game. So, he tucked the ball in his arms and darted up the middle, slicing through the Baylor defense before beating tacklers to the end zone on a 24-yard touchdown gallop that suddenly gave Auburn some life and a lead with 34 seconds left in the first quarter.
Here is the video of Arnold’s first of what Auburn fans hope are many touchdowns as a Tiger signal-caller:
Auburn added another touchdown early in the second quarter to take a 14-3 lead, and at the time Arnold led the Tigers in rushing yards with 64 in addition to his 41 yards passing.
Clearly, that initial Arnold scoring burst gave the Tigers the push they needed in a hostile environment.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
