Ball State Cardinals at Auburn Tigers

Jackson Arnold throws 3 TDs and Auburn overwhelms Ball State 42-3 in home opener

The Tigers (2-0) finished with 271 yards passing and 224 yards rushing.

“I’m super appreciative of Coach (Hugh) Freeze bringing me in here and believing in me when other people wouldn’t,” said Arnold, who transferred to Auburn after two years at Oklahoma. “He trusted me, handed me the keys to this offense and allowed me to have a full offseason to build chemistry with this team.”

Nine different players caught passes during Auburn’s home opener, including Cam Coleman’s team-leading seven receptions for 77 yards. Eric Singleton Jr. had two touchdowns, and transfer Horatio Fields added 51 yards and a touchdown.

“I think it’s good that I can go out at any point in time and look out to my left or right and be comfortable with who I’m throwing to,” Arnold said. “It’s not just a look to see if Cam is out there. I’ve got dudes all across the field I can split the ball to.”

The Cardinals (0-2) managed 68 yards of total offense, including minus-3 rushing, and were held without a touchdown for the second consecutive week.

“The defense played good football against a really good offensive team,” Ball State coach Mike Uremovich said. “Not happy at all with our offensive execution. We kind of strung our defense out and had them out there all day. So that’s something I got to do a better job of and get fixed.”

Poll implications Auburn could find itself ranked in the next AP Top 25 College Football Poll after its decisive victory. The Tigers received the second-most votes (94) among those that missed out on the Top 25 last week.

The takeaway Auburn: The focus this week was on the passing game. The Tigers attempted 33 passes compared to only 17 in last week’s win over Baylor.

“It’s good to give our fans that kind of a game here at home," Freeze said. "We’ve got seven opportunities here. They have to matter.”

Ball State: The Cardinals have struggled to say the least through two weeks, following a zero-point performance against Purdue with three points against Auburn. Kiael Kelly completed 10 of 16 passes for 71 yards in the loss and was sacked six times.

Up next Auburn: The Tigers return to Jordan-Hare Stadium next Saturday to take on South Alabama.

Ball State: The Cardinals host New Hampshire next Saturday.