When you look at the Auburn Tigers you instantly look at the stars they have on the outside in Cam Coleman, Eric Singleton Jr, Malcolm Simmons, and Perry Thompson and think that this is the type of team that should be able to throw the ball all over anyone they face. Hugh Freeze even went out and added a 5-star quarterback in Jackson Arnold to help run the offense.
What Baylor likely never saw coming is the complete dedication to the rushing attack that Hugh Freeze and this offense showed. Hugh Freeze made Jackson Arnold look like Tim Tebow and Cam Newton as he rushed for a team leading 137 yards and a pair of touchdowns putting the team on his back when they needed a big play.
JACKSON ARNOLD WITH A TEXAS-SIZED DAGGER ON FOURTH-AND-ONE pic.twitter.com/ZLW4q0O3q1
— Barstool SEC (@SECBarstool) August 30, 2025
Damari Alston and Jeremiah Cobb each added 16 carries of their own, picking up 158 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the traditional rushing game. As a whole, Auburn picked up 307 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground, wearing down the Baylor defense.
That elite trio of wide receivers that Auburn had spent most of this game blocking as Coleman, Singleton, and Simmons combined for just 5 catches for 69 yards. The receiving core never showed any frustration with the plan blocking on every rushing play helping spring a few key runs.
Moving forward, you have to start looking at this Auburn team in a different light if they're going to run the ball with the authority they did in this game. The passing attack may need to start developing but, the next two games against Ball State and South Alabama should help the offense find a groove throwing the football.
Last season, Hugh Freeze saw his year derailed by abysmal quarterback play and this season he's going to win every way he can. The fan base won't care if they don't pass the ball or if they pass it 50 times a game as long as they win and the commitment this team showed to running should have every team on edge.
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