– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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WACO, TEXAS — Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold got a second chance to make a good first impression at a school, doing so not too far from his backyard, and he made the most of his opportunity in primetime.
The Tigers’ new quarterback ran for 137 yards and two rushing touchdowns in his Auburn debut to help War Eagle to a 37-24 victory over Baylor inside McLane Stadium in Waco on Friday night in the season opener for both teams. Rayshawn Pleasant returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter to help the Tigers keep the Bears at arm’s length in a game that Auburn led for most of the contest.
“I thought we looked a little sluggish. And to see us fight through that and find a way to get a win against a good opponent to open the year, we can really build upon it,” coach Hugh Freeze said. “I know we can play better than we did tonight.”
Arnold, the transfer from Oklahoma, was originally a five-star recruit out of Denton Guyer High School in Texas, only about 120 miles from the Baylor campus. Showing off the dual-threat ability that once earned him the starting job in Norman to start last season, Arnold put the Tigers in the lead for good after his 24-yard run late in the first quarter, which capped a 96-yard drive, gave the Tigers a 7-3 lead.
Through the air, Arnold finished 11-for-17 with 108 yards.
That long first-quarter drive from Auburn was set up by a fourth-down incompletion by Bear quarterback Sawyer Robertson, who finished 27-of-48 passing for 419 yards and three touchdowns. Two of his touchdowns came on fourth-down plays, to Alabama transfer Kobe Prentice from 33 yards out and true freshman running back Caiden Knighten from 10.
Pleasant, who transferred from Tulane and had two return touchdowns for the Green Wave last season, answered the Baylor touchdown to Knighten with his kickoff return for a score right before the end of the third quarter.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Friday evening’s game, with photos taken by ALOST photo editor Ross James. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page. Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 38 pictures in total.
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