Fresh off an impressive road victory over a Power 4 opponent, Auburn returns to the Plains on Saturday to face Ball State in its home opener.
The Tigers (1-0) got an extra day to prepare for the Cardinals (0-1) thanks to their 38-24 win at Baylor coming last Friday. Even with a win over a Big 12 team, Auburn coach Hugh Freeze told reporters earlier this week he still found areas where his team needs to improve.
Most notably, the Tigers’ secondary allowed the Bears to amass 419 yards passing with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Baylor also had seven passing plays that went for 20 yards or more.
Baylor outgained Auburn 483-415, but the Tigers’ defense was able to force turnovers on downs three times in the contest, including twice in the red zone.
“I thought our defensive line controlled the line of scrimmage, and without that, we could have been in for a long night,” Freeze said.
The Tigers’ ground game served as the foundation for the offense, gaining 307 yards on 52 carries. Dual-threat quarterback Jackson Arnold along with running backs Damari Alston and Jeremiah Cobb all had 16 carries apiece.
Arnold, a dark-horse Heisman Trophy candidate, ran for 137 yards and two scores to go along with an 11-for-17 passing performance for 108 yards. Alston and Cobb added 84 and 74 yards, respectively, and both found the end zone once.
Ball State struggled offensively in its opener, a 31-0 loss at Purdue last Saturday in coach Mike Uremovich’s debut. Ball State gained just 203 yards in the loss while allowing 433, and Purdue picked the Cardinals’ defense apart for 340 yards on 20-for-29 passing.
Quarterback Kiael Kelly ran 22 times for 63 yards and completed 10 of 16 passes for 87 yards. Uremovich called Kelly’s ability to scramble a strength.
“Did I want him to scramble as much as he did?” Uremovich said. “No, but that’s part of what makes him a great player, too, now. We’re going to take some of those when he’s breaking them for 30 yards.”