Auburn season opener rewind: Tigers become Waco winners
It is officially game day for the Auburn Tigers as they open up the season against the Baylor Bears in Atlanta in the Aflac Kickoff Game, kicking off the Alex Golesh era with a prominent matchup.
It is a day that has been nine months in the making since the final play of the 2025 season, and now the Tigers and Bears are ready to let their emotions out on the field and put their hard work to the test.
In light of that, Auburn Undercover takes a look back at the last five season openers that Auburn has played in. The Tigers have not lost a season opener since the 2016 season, when they fell to the Clemson Tigers 19-13.
The walk down memory lane finishes in last year’s season opener, when Auburn walked into Waco, Texas to take on Baylor in the first half of this home-and-home series and escaped with a 38-24 win, one that was an ecstatic win to start 2025.
The Tigers fell behind on the first drive of the game as the Bears got on the board early with a 36-yard field goal from Connor Hawkins.
In the fading seconds of the first quarter though, Jackson Arnold took a loud 24-yard run to the right side and got to the end zone to put Auburn up 7-3 with 34 seconds left.
Early in the second quarter, the Tigers extended their advantage thanks to a 9-yard run from Damari Alston, making it 14-3. Alex McPherson then kicked a 21-yard field goal home about five minutes later to get three more points on the board.
With 3:21 left in the first half though, Baylor struck gold as Sawyer Robertson connected with Kobe Prentice for 33 yards, closing the gap to 17-10.
The third quarter began with not much action going on, but a 2-yard touchdown run from Jeremiah Cobb with 5:40 remaining got the advantage back to two possessions. The Bears kept fighting though, and with 58 seconds left in the third, Caden Knighten caught a 4-yard pass from Robertson to get the score to 24-17.
It was the ensuing kick return from Rayshawn Pleasant that flipped this game upside down though, as Pleasant went through the left side and down the sideline for a 98-yard touchdown to send Auburn into a frenzy.
Big tight end Michael Trigg reeled in a 4-yard touchdown to bring the score to 31-24 in the fourth, but it was a 27-yard run on fourth down from Arnold that locked the game up, extending things to 38-24 and helping to send the Tigers home winners.
Arnold’s performance through the air was not overwhelming, going 11-for-17 for 108 yards and no touchdowns. However, it was his ground performance that did the talking, being the team’s leading rusher with 16 carries for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
His rushing was part of 307 yards from the ground game, as Alston got to 84 yards, while Cobb put up 74. Combined, they scored four touchdowns on the night.
Keyron Crawford led on the defensive side of the football, notching seven tackles with one sack. The defense as a whole put up four total sacks, with Crawford’s one to go along with one from Keldric Faulk and two from Robert Woodyard Jr.
Auburn ultimately finished the 2025 season 5-7, missing a bowl game for the third time in five years. Head Coach Hugh Freeze was fired following a 10-3 loss to Kentucky at home, and DJ Durkin replaced him as the interim for the final games of the campaign.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
