Auburn football QB Byrum Brown gets first chance to 'cut loose' against Baylor

AUBURN — The preseason talking points have been lost luster for weeks at this point. Games are already being played, and in Auburn football‘s case, the season-opener comes at the end of the week.

However, there’s one longstanding topic that’ll find new life when the Tigers face Baylor on Saturday, Sept. 5 (2:30 p.m. CT, ABC) in Atlanta. Byrum Brown won’t be in non-contact protocol against the Bears, meaning the dual threat quarterback will have his first chance with Auburn to showcase his rushing ability.

“I can’t wait,” Brown said Tuesday, Sept. 1. “Simply put, I can’t wait to just go out there and play ball. A lot of the guys, they can’t wait. It’s just a long time coming, it feels like, and I’m excited.”

Auburn will have an uncommon commodity under center in Brown. He’s one of just five active FBS quarterbacks — Army’s Cale Hellums, Jacksonville State’s Caden Creel, Utah’s Devon Dampier and Texas Tech’s Tommy Castellanos — to have rushed for 1,000 yards in a single season.

Brown’s lone season at Auburn will also follow his best yet, as he threw for 3,158 yards and rushed for 1,008 yards last fall. Only 11 other quarterbacks have ever posted a 3,000-1,000 season in the sport’s history.

That’s not something anyone on the Plains has been able to witness yet, certainly in full, with quarterbacks being such a protected asset beyond game days.

“A big part of his game is he can move in the pocket, he can create with his feet, he can extend plays,” head coach Alex Golesh said of Brown in the spring. “A lot of that gets blown dead pretty quickly, and rightfully so. … You are going to protect that guy at every cost.”

At 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, there’s multitudes to Brown’s running abilities. While he runs with speed, he also does so with strength, and come this weekend, a nine-month wait will come to an end.

“Having played with him the last couple years, there’s nothing more fun than watching that guy go do what he does best,” Auburn center Cole Best said. “I’m really excited to see him put a real jersey on, cut it loose and just be him.”

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Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter. To support Adam’s work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.