Auburn Tigers and Hugh Freeze must get Jackson Arnold to adjust in key areas against Ball State in preparation for tough SEC slate
Jackson Arnold has to settle in and trust those around him if Auburn is going to beat good teams
Auburn may have kicked off their 2025 college football season with a big win over Baylor, but if Hugh Freeze and company want to be ready for their tough SEC slate the offense needs to fix a few things.
Yes, it was great to see Jackson Arnold put up some crazy rushing numbers in Week 1 with 137 yards on the ground and two scores. The dynamic duo of Damari Alston and Jeremiah Cobb at running back destroyed the Baylor defense on the ground too. However, quarterback Jackson Arnold needs to use Ball State (and South Alabama the week after) to clean up a couple key areas.
Jackson Arnold needs to settle in as a passer and stop forcing scrambles
Jackson Arnold did several things well as a quarterback against Baylor to kick off the season, but he needs to settle in as a passer and stop forcing scrambles. Arnold dropped back 26 times, was sacked once (due to his own failure to identify a blitz), and scrambled eight times. Half of his carries on the game were scrambles. Some of them went for huge gains, so the outcome was fantastic at times, but even on some of his highlight plays, against SEC defenses they’re likely stopped for nearly nothing.
Take for example his early 24-yard touchdown run that gave Auburn an early 7-3 lead. It was a phenomenal play that showcased Arnold’s speed, and a huge momentum-starter for Auburn. However, upon a closer look, the play was less than a half step away from being a tackle just two yards beyond the line of scrimmage.
This may seem like nitpicking, but if Arnold was settled in as a passer, actually going through his progressions post-snap he would have seen the wide open Eric Singleton sprinting to space in the left flat. Had he hit Singleton in stride there was a massive runway to potentially find the end zone for a score. Instead, with absolutely zero pressure in his face, Arnold almost immediately tucked the ball to run.
This was the case on a handful of Arnold’s scrambles. Yes, a couple times it was a no-brainer to open up and run. Most often though, Arnold had receivers open with next to no pressure on him. Yet still, his feet would immediately flip, indicating he’d already decided he was going to bail and run rather quickly.
Arnold has the wide receiver talent around him to help settle his nerves a bit this week against Ball State. He just needs to trust them, and not force runs or quick panicked throws to his first read.
The post below shows every single throw from Jackson Arnold against Baylor. It’s quite clear that he’s deciding where the ball is going before the ball is even snapped far, far too often.
When Arnold settled in a bit later in the first half and for spurts in the second half against Baylor, trusting his receivers and the offensive line in front of him, he did find a few big passing plays. The deep target on the crosser to Cam Coleman (at the 58 second mark of the post above) was probably his most patient play of the game. He just needs to do that more.
When Auburn faces teams that they can’t manhandle with their ground game, Arnold’s patience and trust will be a must. The defenders will be a tick faster too, so Arnold’s scrambles that went for huge plays against Baylor likely don’t in SEC play. Hugh Freeze schemed open Eric Singleton and Cam Coleman all game long. He’ll do it again this weekend against Ball State. Arnold just needs to settle down and find his weapons. If he can do that, Auburn might put together a truly special season.
We’ll be back with more Auburn Tigers coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
