The wait is officially over.
The Auburn Tigers will jumpstart their 2025 campaign in a marquee Friday night showdown against Baylor at McLane Stadium.
The two programs aren’t especially familiar with each other, having met only four times. Their last matchup came in 1976, a 15-14 Baylor win, with the Bears holding a 2-1-1 series advantage.
Baylor will most certainly enter this one with a great deal of confidence after reeling off six wins – excluding its 44-33 loss to LSU in the Texas Bowl – to end the season. With firepower and weapons across the offense, a defensive savant for a head coach, all while playing on their home turf, it poses a formidable challenge to kick things off for Auburn heading into year three of the Hugh Freeze era.
Nonetheless, Auburn will have a chance to even the series and jolt a program urgently seeking a resurgence this season.
With that, here are the biggest things to look for in the game:
Auburn’s defense will be tested early
A large part of Baylor's resurgence to end the season last year was due to its high level of play on offense, finishing the season ranked No. 19 in scoring offense, 20th in total offense and 22nd in pass yards per completion.
And the Bears return a lot of production on that side of the ball.
Led by veteran quarterback Sawyer Robertson, Baylor returns running back Bryson Washington – a 1,000-yard back as a freshman – wide receivers Josh Cameron and Ashytn Hawkins and three starters in the middle of the offensive line.
Pair that with two portal pickups to fill in at the tackle spots, and an intriguing pass-catching threat at tight end, and Auburn is looking at an offense that will test in from the jump.
The Tigers, led by second-year defensive coordinator DJ Durkin, played the most freshmen of any squad in the country on the defensive side of the ball last year. Auburn has the talent on the backend to match up with anyone in the country. Keldric Faulk and his counterparts Keyron Crawford and Amaris Williams are poised to make some noise coming off the edge for the Tigers.
The question is, who will step up as a playmaker in the middle of the defense?
If Auburn can make Robertson – who completed 62.2% of his passes for 3,071 yards a season ago – uncomfortable, while limiting the Bears’ potent rushing attack, it sets up nicely for the Tigers to find success on that side of the ball.
But they’ll have to weather the early storms of a dangerous Jake Spavitol-led offense.
Establish the run game
The Tigers will play their first game in four years without Jarquez Hunter, the fourth-leading rusher in program history.
All eyes are pointing to Damari Alston and Jeremiah Cobb to handle the running back duties this season, and both have willingly expressed that they are up for the challenge.
Auburn’s offensive line has struggled in pass protection in the latter half of camp, and with a new starting quarterback in Jackson Arnold – who is looking to shake off a rocky 2024 campaign with Oklahoma – establishing the run game in the early goings will make life much easier for the Auburn offense.
Baylor finished 72nd in the country last year in rush defense, giving up 152 yards per game. The Bears return Keaton Thomas, who finished last season with 114 tackles, and a disruptor in the middle in defensive tackle Jackie Marshall, who are looking to turn things around on the defensive side of the ball this season.
But if Auburn can establish its identity on the ground, it ensures that Arnold and Co. will be much more comfortable on the outside to convert on some big plays through the air.
Let the weapons loose
Speaking of making plays through the air, Auburn boasts one of the most talented receiving corps in the nation – making it all the more crucial that the Tigers get their run game going early on.
Star-studded sophomore Cam Coleman leads the charge for a group that features the likes of Eric Singleton. Jr, Malcolm Simmons, Horatio Fields and Perry Thompson. Freeze noted on Wednesday that Singleton was not 100% healthy, but that he would suit up and play on Friday night.
Baylor’s pass defense was the sore spot of the unit a season ago, giving up 246.3 yards per game through the air. Veteran safety Carl Williams IV, one of six returners on that side of the ball, is doubtful for Friday night as he has been dealing with a lingering injury.
With all of those weapons going against the biggest question mark on the Baylor defense, Auburn can find some big plays through the air, which will bolster Arnold’s confidence.
Will Alex McPherson give it a go?
Auburn’s kicking game struggled mightily last season in the absence of McPherson, who was sidelined with gastrointestinal issues.
The junior kicker had progressed nicely during the offseason and was set to make a triumphant return, but Freeze noted earlier in the week that the two would meet on Friday to discuss whether or not he was ready to give it a go.
“If he feels like he's able to participate, then the next question will be ‘all right, let's be real on the how are you feeling on distance?' And it may be pregame before we know that,” Freeze said on Monday.
If McPherson is unable to suit up, Towns McGough and Connor Gibbs have been impressive throughout camp, and Freeze is fully confident in both to get the job done if their number is called.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Fox.
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