Rapid Reaction: Auburn runs its way to double-digit victory at Baylor
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Auburn and Baylor delivered a Friday night thriller in Waco where the momentum swung back and forth with plenty of fireworks. The Tigers notched double-digit leads multiple times, but the Bears refused to go away with a rowdy home crowd backing them up.
It was a contrast of styles. Auburn relied on its rushing attack. Quarterback Jackson Arnold and running backs Damari Alson and Jeremiah Cobb all found success on the ground, as the Tigers rushed for over 300 yards.
Baylor chose to air it out with Sawyer Robertson, who threw for over 400 yards. The Bears benefitted from big plays, with multiple receivers notching receptions of 30-plus yards.
A 98-yard kickoff return by Rayshawn Pleasant made it 31-17 Auburn with less than 1 minute remaining in the 3rd quarter. The Bears responded with a 9-play, 79-yard drive to get it back down to 1 score (31-24) early in the 4th quarter.
The pressure was on Auburn as Baylor had momentum with 11:48 to go in a 1-score game. The Auburn offense did exactly what it needed to do, going on a 12-play, 75-yard drive. Arnold came up with his biggest play of the night.
Arnold’s second rushing touchdown, this time for 27 yards, made it a 2-score game again, sending some Bears fans to the exits at McLane Stadium.
Baylor did not give up on trying to pull off the improbable comeback, but the Auburn defense did enough to keep the Bears out of the end zone. An unsuccessful 4th-and-1 in the redzone allowed AU to drain the final 67 seconds off the clock.
Auburn 38, Baylor 24
Here’s the Auburn-Baylor box score (use the dropdown menu to select team or player stats), followed by the complete play-by-play:
Jackson Arnold vs Sawyer Robertson
A statistical breakdown of very different performances from Auburn’s Jackson Arnold and Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson. (The dropdown menu allows you to compare other positions, too):
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
