Referees miss egregious facemask call in Auburn vs. Baylor game

With 3:05 remaining in third quarter against Auburn, Baylor wide receiver Ashtyn Hawkins reeled in a 13-yard catch, nearly escaping into open space. However, Hawkins yards after catch were cut short when Auburn linebacker Demarcus Riddick threw him down by his face mask.

Despite the Baylor crowd’s pleas, no flag was thrown on the play. Only a few moments later, the FOX broadcast brought on rules analyst Mike Pereira for his thoughts on the controversial moment.

“[Riddick] had a hand around it. He didn’t actually pull it, but he got underneath and then he did grab it and pull it. And, yes, that’s one that should’ve been called,” Pereira said. “Obviously, replay can’t do anything about this, so it’s just a miss that the officials have to live with.”

This was not called a facemask penalty 😬😅 pic.twitter.com/lkuSMSrihx

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 30, 2025

Baylor didn’t allowed the missed call to slow them down on the drive. Just a few plays later, Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson found Caden Knighten on a four-yard touchdown pass to cut Auburn’s lead to 24-17.

Unfortunately for the Bears, their elation didn’t last long. On the ensuing kickoff, Auburn’s Rayshawn Pleasant ran the ball back for 98 yards to extend Auburn’s lead back out to 14 points.

While Baylor continued to fight back and even scored one more touchdown in the game, the Bears ultimately fell 38-24 to Auburn. It’s a brutal loss for head coach Dave Aranda and Co., who entered the season just outside of the AP Top 25.

Now, Baylor will have to quickly recompose itself as it prepares to take on No. 19 SMU in Week 2. The Bears can’t afford another loss. After all, Dave Aranda knows the Bears have a challenging season ahead.

“I feel really strong and about the conference and our schedule is an example of it,” Aranda said. “You look at the amount of teams we’re playing that have got quarterbacks that are just so difficult to contain and you got defenses that are so pressure heavy and disguise their looks and you’ve got the schematics on offense or just at the at the forefront of college football and the tough road environments.

“I think you know you look at every Saturday, it’s a toss-up in terms of who’s going to come out and so I’m looking forward to that. I know it’s going to take the best that we got and we’re looking forward to give that.”