As junior outside linebacker Matthew Fobbs-White streaked off the edge to wrap up junior quarterback Jackson Arnold on third-and-10 to cap off Auburn’s first drive as a three-and-out, it seemed as if Baylor’s front seven was ready for an SEC-sized challenge.

It’s a Baylor tradition for freshmen to wear their gold line jerseys and sign the very Baylor Line they’ll run across before the first game of the season. For the class of 2029, though, the event was particularly special. The excitement of the following day’s showdown against Auburn was palpable.

From the opening whistle to the final horn, Baylor set the tempo and walked away with its first home win of 2025, a 2–0 upset over No. 17 Mississippi State.

Although the war seems like it could be worlds away, it impacts Baylor students in a more personal way than most generally assume — particularly in the grocery store runs, Stolze said.