It's a new era on the Plains as new head coach Alex Golesh will make his debut coaching the Auburn Tigers on Saturday in the Aflac Kickoff Game against the Baylor Bears.
Auburn football defeated Baylor in Week 1 behind two strong performances by quarterbacks Jackson Arnold and Sawyer Robertson. This season, both teams will trot out new quarterbacks. In Auburn's case, the Tigers will have a brand new look as Golesh takes over the program and a few new names will make their debuts in orange and blue.
What should you know about the Tigers' Week 1 opponent ahead of the big game this weekend? Here are five important things to know about Baylor.
There's a new quarterback in town
The Bears brought in highly touted Florida transfer quarterback DJ Lagway. He had a ton of pressure on him
last season down in the Swamp after he showed some impressive flashes his freshman campaign. To put it bluntly, it was an ugly season for Lagway where he threw 14 interceptions. Now in a new atmosphere, it will be interesting to see if he has progressed any this offseason or if we see the same turnover machine.
Baylor's defense gets a facelift
To put it plain and simple, the Baylor defense was bad, like very bad. Baylor allowed nearly 400 yards per game while allowing an average of 32.6 points per game. They now introduce Joe Klanderman to that staff to clean up that defense. A big piece for him returning on the defense is linebacker Keaton Thomas, who has had back-to-back 100-tackle seasons.
Dave Aranda is on the hot seat
This is year seven for Aranda leading the Bears, after coming off a losing 5-7 record last year. If Lagway is not the answer, it could spell the end of Aranda's tenure in Waco.
Expect the same high-powered offense
Baylor did retain offensive coordinator Jake Spavital. He's tasked with ensuring the offense can be productive after losing two big pieces in quarterback Sawyer Robertson and running back Bryson Washington, who now is apart of the Tigers' roster after transferring in the spring.
Big roster turnover
As mentioned in the point above, Baylor lost some big-time playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. The main one being Robertson, who had that offense rolling with him at quarterback. Now Lagway will lead the way, and he'll have the addition of new transfer weapons learning the system alongside him: wide receivers Dre'lon Miller and Gavin Freeman.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Five things to know about Baylor ahead of Auburn's season opener
