How does Baylor's Dave Aranda feel about facing Bryson Washington?
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One of the key subplots of Saturday's game between Auburn and Baylor will be running back Bryson Washington, who transferred to Auburn after playing against them last season as part of Baylor's roster.
The Tigers transfer running back played his three seasons for the Bears from 2023 to 2025. During his press conference to preview the game, Baylor head coach Dave Aranda was asked about the emotions of playing Washington.
"Yeah, I think anytime that there's you're going against a former teammate, you want the best for them outside of that event that you're both in," Aranda said this week. "And so that's very true. I know speaking for a lot of the guys and myself, I want to see him have success. I want to see him win that job."
Washington had his breakout season in 2024 for the Bears when he rushed for 1,028 yards and 12 touchdowns. During the 2025 season, he dealt with injuries throughout the year and his numbers declined. Last season, Washington rushed for 788 yards and six touchdowns. After Baylor lost to Auburn in the season opener in 2025, he had three consecutive games with other 100 yards before the injuries took their toll. As a transfer, Washington was rated as a four-star by 247Sports and the No. 8 running back. Aranda spoke on Baylor attempting to stop Washington on Saturday.
"And he's tough to stop. You know, it was interesting seeing the breakdown of him," Aranda added. "He's a tough runner, he falls forward, all those things. And so we know what he's going to bring and so we know what we have to be in order to meet that."
While the focus of the Auburn running game should be on Jeremiah Cobb and even quarterback Byrum Brown, it will be interesting to see the success Washington can have versus his former team. The Auburn Tigers will meet the Baylor Bears to kick off the season Saturday with a start time of 2:30 pm CT. The game will air on ABC.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: How does Baylor's Dave Aranda feel about facing Bryson Washington?
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