By Foster Nicholas | Editor-in-Chief
As junior outside linebacker Matthew Fobbs-White streaked off the edge to wrap up Jackson Arnold to force a three-and-out, it seemed as if Baylor’s front seven was ready for an SEC-sized challenge.
But first glances can be deceiving, especially in Week 1.
Aside from a second-quarter sack, which led to a backwards-pass fumble recovered by the Tigers, and Fobbs-White’s early outside pressure, the Bears were lost in the trenches. In Friday’s season opener, the Bears failed to record multiple tackles for loss and allowed more than 300 rush yards for the first time since head coach Dave Aranda took the reins in 2020.
“The execution [left] just so much to be desired,” Aranda said. “We overran a lot of stuff, which is disappointing. The position that I work with overran way too much, and I’m frustrated with myself on that. So I feel like crap because of that. I let the team down that way.”
Arnold had Baylor’s number all night. A lackluster passer, Arnold completed 11-of-17 attempts for 108 yards but took advantage of a damaged defensive line with 16 carries for a game-best 137 yards and two touchdowns.
The Bears found themselves at a disadvantage early on, when redshirt senior defensive lineman Jackie Marshall suffered a high-ankle sprain on the second Auburn drive of the first quarter. But even as good as Marshall is, one man couldn’t have made a massive dent when the Tigers manipulated the pocket for advantageous scramble opportunities on nearly every broken play.
And each adjustment that followed still couldn’t make up the difference.
“We knew they were gonna run the quarterback, and there were design quarterback runs that we really should have fit up better than what we did,” Aranda said. “[Marshall] is one of our better players on defense, and we went to more four-down fronts with him. He can play a three-down and two-gap and play inside and outside. And not having him, we don’t really have the ability to do that.”
By the second half, Auburn’s play calling was almost automatic. Across 32 plays, the Tigers passed just seven times and averaged 5.9 yards per rush. Baylor was too entrenched in its game plan — preventing the Tigers’ skilled receiving corps from causing damage — and Arnold’s pass-hesitant style was brought to the foreground until garbage time.
“It’s definitely frustrating when you have a quarterback who has the skill set that he has; it’s tough,” redshirt junior linebacker Keaton Thomas said. “It goes from 10-on-11 to 11-on-11 when a quarterback can scramble like that, and we just have to get him down.”
No, the season isn’t over, but Baylor blew as many great opportunities as tackles Friday night. The resurfacing of gold chrome helmets will be remembered for reflecting a quiet atmosphere that should’ve witnessed the program’s first win over an SEC opponent since the 2022 Sugar Bowl.
Aranda’s turnaround in 2024 was nothing short of masterful, but the one thing he never shored up was finishing plays in the backfield. At the moment, it looks like 2025 has some of the same woes in store. The Bears lost their first game against a Power-conference opponent for the fourth consecutive season, resurfacing the glaring finishing problems.
“I think the biggest disappointment in all of it, I thought, was just the tackling,” Aranda said. “I wish the tackling would have been so much better, and [it’s] something you have to address. A lot of these plays that hurt us tonight, we are going to see here in a week, and the other team playing already runs it, so we have a lot of work to do.”
The Bears put the recipe for success against their weakened defensive front on tape Friday, and No. 16 SMU has to be taking notes. Junior Mustang quarterback Kevin Jennings used mobility to his advantage in 2024 with 101 carries and five touchdowns. Baylor took away the pass game against the Tigers, but gambling on a run-pass option against SMU will burn the Bears.
“This is the moment to use as fuel. We should come back Monday, hungrier than ever. I’m still hungry. I feel like I can still play another four quarters,” Thomas said. “This is who we are. We are perseverance.”
The Bears will be back in action against the Mustangs at 11 a.m. Saturday at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas.