Key Answers: How the Bears Answered Important Questions Against Auburn

SicEm365’s Jack Mackenzie answers the questions posed by Grayson Grundhoefer in the “Keys to the Game” for Baylor’s matchup against Auburn.

Can Baylor run the football effectively?

When posing this question, Grayson pointed to the Bears' rushing struggles against the best defenses they faced in 2024 (Utah, Colorado, BYU, Houston, Iowa State and LSU). Baylor did not reach the 99.8 yards per game or 2.8 yards per carry averages from that set of games, instead finishing the matchup against Auburn with just 64 yards on 24 carries or 2.7 yards per carry. 

Whether you look at the numbers or simply use the eye test, Baylor was unable to run the football effectively. The Auburn defensive line was too much for Baylor’s offensive line to overcome. Not to mention the back-breaking and questionable holding penalty called on tight end Matthew Klopfenstein when Bryson Washington finally broke through for a long run. 

Final Verdict: No, Baylor still has yet to demonstrate that it can run the ball effectively against a “more talented” defense, to use the term Grayson used.

Will the secondary be able to match up against one of the best receiving groups in the nation?

Grayson said on Friday, “We are going to find out very quickly whether Dave Aranda and the staff have either fixed the secondary or found a way to generate more pressure up front, resulting in better secondary play.”

It seems that we did not find out one way or another if the secondary is improved or the pass rush improved enough to cover for the secondary. Aranda appeared to game plan around protecting his secondary from home run shots, instead banking on the defensive line to corral the mobile Jackson Arnold. After Jackie Marshall left the game with an injury, the Tigers ran all over the Bears to the tune of 307 yards and 38 points. 

The great Auburn receivers only needed to total 108 yards as a position group to help see their team out of Waco with a win.

Final Verdict: If the game plan appears to have no faith in the secondary and that game was lost, the stats don’t have to carry the answer here. They could not match up well, and it cost the Bears.

How good or bad is Jackson Arnold?

As a pure passer? I don’t think anyone knows any better after that game. As a quarterback and ball player? He looked good. Arnold passed for just 108 yards, completing 11 of 17 attempts, and on the ground, he rushed for a career-high 137 yards on 16 carries.

After the game, Arnold's head coach, Hugh Freeze, praised the decision-making of his new starting signal-caller. The Tigers turned the ball over zero times — something Arnold struggled with at Oklahoma last season — and scored on six of nine drives before running the clock out at the end of the game.

“If the answer to this is that he is a good quarterback, then Baylor is probably going to lose this game.” Right you were, Grayson.

Final Verdict: Jackson Arnold was a good quarterback against Baylor, even without being challenged to prove it through the air.

Views from the Brazos: Baylor Battles Auburn in 2025 Season-Opener

Are we sure Auburn’s defense was that good last year?

While this question is not directly about the version of the Auburn defense that Baylor faced, the point I took from it was more like, “How much will Auburn’s defense challenge Baylor's offense?” 

To that question, I would say that the Tigers' defense did not challenge the Bears as much as many expected, especially those who are not entrenched in the Big 12 for the full season every year. Sawyer Robertson and Co. posted 483 yards of total offense and made five red zone trips on nine drives plus an end-of-half “drive” in the second quarter. The Bears only converted that output into 24 points, which is disappointing no matter the opposition. 

Going 5-for-15 on third down conversions and 3-for-6 on fourth down conversions are figures that also leave plenty to be desired.

At the end of the day, it is just tough to give props to a defense that saw Baylor’s receiving core run around, past and through the secondary with such consistency. Likely, this was a good against good battle that saw Baylor hampered by subpar execution and some questionable penalties. Neither unit looked top-20 great nor below Power 4 average bad.

Final Verdict: Are we sure Auburn’s defense was that good last year? Still not sure. How much did they challenge Baylor? They bent plenty but didn’t break, while Baylor failed to execute cleanly.

Will Baylor finally get back to having an elite home-field advantage?

Finally, a super subjective question for me to answer! As a student from the 2017-2020 football seasons, I did not get to enjoy the best of Baylor Football’s home environments. There were some fun highs like the perfect first half against Jalen Hurt’s Oklahoma in 2019, but the Bears have not felt like the ticket that everyone and their entirely athletics-apathetic friends have to get their hands on since I moved to Waco as a freshman. 

With the way the student section showed up — early and loud — and hung around late into the fourth quarter, perhaps that is all changing.

The in-stadium pregame videos were a step up from last year. Bryce Petty brought the electricity, and the chrome just looked like it belonged on Baylor’s helmets more than any other program’s. 

So did the loss squander that momentum? Time will tell, but it helps that the offensive product is back to the style that Baylor rode into the national spotlight. Things seem to be on the right track if the team can win at least as many games as it did last year. 

Other Baylor-Auburn Content

• Between the Lines: Kole Wilson, Dave Aranda's Defense and McLane Stadium Atmosphere
• The Monday Truth Session: Big Game Failures, Offensive Fire Power, Struggles in Trenches
• Key Answers: How the Bears Answered Important Questions Against Auburn
• Where the Game was Lost: Auburn's Back-Breaking Kick Return & Marshall's Injury
• Views from the Brazos: Baylor Battles Auburn in 2025 Season-Opener
• Missed Opportunities and Defensive Woes Doom Baylor in Season Opener against Auburn
• Rapid Reactions: Baylor Missfires Early in Season Opener