Quarterback Jackson Arnold rushed for a career-high 137 yards and scored two touchdowns in his Auburn debut to guide the Tigers to a 38-24 victory over Baylor on Friday night in the season-opening game for both teams at Waco, Texas.
Fellow transfer Rayshawn Pleasant returned a kickoff for a touchdown for the Tigers, who dominated the trenches and had a 307-64 edge in rushing yardage. Damari Alston (84 yards) and Jeremiah Cobb (74 yards) also rushed for touchdowns on 16 carries apiece for Auburn.
Sawyer Robertson completed 27 of 48 passes for 419 yards and three touchdowns and defensive star Keaton Thomas had 15 tackles for Baylor. Kole Wilson caught eight passes for 134 yards, while Michael Trigg (7 for 99), Kobe Prentice and Caden Knighten each had scoring receptions for the Bears.
Arnold, a transfer from Oklahoma, completed 11 of 17 passes for 108 yards. He put the game away when he sped up the middle for a 27-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-1 to give the Tigers the 38-24 lead with 4:32 left in the game.
Auburn took a 24-10 advantage when Cobb scored from the 2 with 5:40 left in the third quarter.
The Bears responded by scoring one of their two fourth-down touchdowns to pull within seven. Snapping from the Tigers’ 4-yard line, Robertson threw a pass in the left flat to Knighten, who raced to the end zone with 58 seconds remaining in the period.
Auburn temporarily shut off Baylor’s momentum as Pleasant caught the kickoff at the 2 and eventually veered left and raced down the sideline for a 98-yard touchdown. It is his third career return touchdown, the other two coming last season for Tulane.
The Bears battled back and pulled within 31-24 when Robertson hit Trigg on a 4-yard scoring pass with 11:48 left in the contest.
After Baylor’s Connor Hawkins opened the scoring with a 36-yard field goal, the Tigers scored the next 17 points.
Arnold completed a 12-play, 96-yard drive with a 24-yard scramble for touchdown with 34 seconds left in the first quarter.
Alston booted the lead to 14-3 when he scored on a 9-yard run with 10:29 left in the first half. Alex McPherson tacked on a 21-yard field goal with 5:45 to go to make it a 14-point margin.
Baylor moved within 17-10 when Robertson tossed a 33-yard touchdown pass to Prentice on fourth-and-8 with 3:21 remaining in the half.
