Baylor Might Have to Pick Its Poison Against Auburn's Offense

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Baylor might have to pick its poison against the Auburn Tigers offense.

Because stopping the run has to be the first priority.

Auburn ran for more than 300 yards against Baylor last season. Jackson Arnold accounted for 130 of those yards himself, and Baylor struggled to stop the run throughout the year.

Now Alex Golesh gets his opportunity against that defense.

And running the football is going to be a major part of what Auburn wants to do.

The Tigers have Jeremiah Cobb, Bryson Washington and Omar Mabson in the backfield. Then there's Byrum Brown, who gives Auburn another legitimate rushing threat at quarterback.

That's a lot for Baylor to account for.

Baylor might have to do things differently in a big way after essentially allowing Auburn to run the football against a two-high shell last season.

The answer?

Get another defender involved.

"I am making Byrum Brown beat me through the air because I'm not going to sit in a two high shell," Blaine Crain said on a recent episode of Crain & Cone. "I'm going to have an extra hat in the box." 

That makes sense. But it creates another problem for the Bears.

If Baylor starts committing additional defenders to stopping Auburn's rushing attack, Brown is going to get opportunities against more favorable coverage on the outside.

And Auburn spent the entire offseason rebuilding its receiver room.

Chas Nimrod, Keshaun Singleton, Jeremiah Koger and Deshawn Spencer give Brown different options throughout the field.

More importantly, Brown might be better equipped to take advantage of those opportunities than he was at South Florida.

Nimrod has played with Brown at both places.

And he's noticed a difference.

"He's definitely, like, he's definitely fitting it into tight windows," Nimrod said. "Like he's throwing the ball very well and confidently."

That's certainly something worth mentioning. A teammate who believes his quarterback, who has already put up historic numbers, is getting even better in the best conference in college football. 

Count me in.

Baylor's easiest path to slowing Auburn down might be forcing Brown to prove he can consistently beat them through the air.

But that's also where Auburn believes its quarterback has improved.

And that's what makes this matchup so interesting.

If Baylor stays light in the box, Auburn has already shown it can run the football against this defense.

If it starts committing additional defenders to stopping Cobb, Washington, Mabson, and Brown, Auburn should get opportunities outside, and that's when the real magic could begin. 

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