Hugh Freeze Considers Offensive Shakeup After Auburn’s Struggles
Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze is openly frustrated with his team’s offensive performance following a second straight disappointing loss—this time a 16-10 defeat at the hands of Texas A&M. The Tigers once again struggled up front, marking another week of poor play by the offensive line.
After giving up nine sacks and committing eight penalties against Oklahoma, Auburn’s offensive line followed it up with five sacks allowed and five more penalties in the loss to the Aggies. Freeze didn’t hold back when addressing the unit’s issues postgame.
“I know it sounds repetitive, but it’s unacceptable,” Freeze said. “We’ve got talented quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers. I believe our offensive line has potential, too, but we’re clearly not performing like it. That responsibility falls on me and the coaching staff to figure out what’s wrong.”
Despite high expectations during the offseason—when the coaching staff touted the revamped offensive line as one of the SEC’s strongest—recent performances have fallen short of that promise. Freeze acknowledged that changes may need to be made.
“I’m past the point of blaming the players,” he added. “It’s on us as coaches. Either we need to evaluate personnel and make adjustments, or we’ve got to do a better job teaching and preparing them.”
One of the more disappointing developments has been the play of transfer lineman Xavier Chaplin, a highly-touted pickup from Virginia Tech. Chaplin has committed six penalties over the last two games, the most on the team. While he has faced tough matchups, including Oklahoma’s R Mason Thomas and Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell, his inconsistency has been costly.
Fortunately, Auburn has a bye week to regroup before facing Georgia—a team reeling from a home loss to Alabama that ended their 33-game home winning streak. Freeze emphasized that the time off will be spent reexamining everything offensively.
“We’ve got two weeks to get ready for Georgia, and we’re going to reassess everything on that side of the ball,” he said. “This isn’t about Jackson [Arnold] or any one player. This is about the coaching staff, and it starts with me to fix it.”
A quick turnaround is critical. If the Tigers drop their next game, it would mark the third consecutive 0-3 start in SEC play under Freeze—a scenario that could spark serious questions about the program’s direction under the current leadership.
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