Auburn Doesn't Need to Overthink Its Game Plan Against Baylor

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Despite the down year, the Auburn Tigers were an absolute nightmare for the Baylor Bears in Week 1 last season. 

And that nightmare could easily come true once again in 2026. 

Because Baylor actually did plenty offensively against the Tigers. Former quarterback Sawyer Robertson threw for more than 400 yards. Baylor finished with nearly 500 yards of total offense and moved the football against a defense that eventually became the strength of Auburn's team.

And none of it mattered.

Auburn still won by two touchdowns.

And the reason why was pretty simple.

Baylor couldn't stop the run.

Auburn rushed for more than 300 yards, including 130 from Jackson Arnold, and controlled the game on the ground.

Now Alex Golesh gets his opportunity against Baylor.

And running the football is going to be a pretty significant part of this offense.

Auburn has Jeremiah Cobb, who is projected to be one of the best running backs in the conference this season. Omar Mabson has also received a ton of praise from the new coaching staff and should see a drastically increased role. Byrum Brown is now under center, and unlike Arnold, he rushed for over 1,000 yards last season while at South Florida. He has consistently proven he can hurt defenses with his legs on a weekly basis. 

And then there's Bryson Washington.

Washington was Baylor's leading rusher last season.

Now he's playing for Auburn in what could be seen as the third running back on the depth chart. 

That's not exactly an ideal development for a Baylor defense that already had problems stopping the run.

Baylor allowed around 200 rushing yards per game last season. Now the Bears have a new defensive coordinator, Joe Klanderman, who comes from Kansas State, and several new pieces trying to fix it.

So it seems simple, right? Auburn doesn't need to make this complicated. They just need to run the football and control the game. 

Make Baylor prove it has actually fixed the problem that cost it against Auburn last season.

That doesn't mean Golesh should completely take his foot off the gas. Auburn's tempo is going to be part of its identity.

But repeated three-and-outs can also put DJ Durkin's defense in a difficult position. Something we saw way too much last season under Hugh Freeze.

A physical run game can get you the win, even with some concerns across the roster, such as questions surrounding the offensive line. 

We've spent the entire offseason wondering whether Auburn has actually fixed that room.

Baylor probably isn't going to give us the complete answer.

Florida, Vanderbilt and Tennessee will present different challenges later in the season.

But that's also why Saturday sets up so well for Auburn.

This offensive line doesn't have to prove it's ready for every SEC defensive front yet.

It just has to move Baylor. And that's something Auburn did last season, and this unit should be just as good under coach Tyler Hudanick and Alex Golesh. 

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