Hugh Freeze Gets Brutally Honest After Auburn Loses to Arkansas
The Tigers coach made quite the statement on his weekly talk show following Saturday’s loss to the Razorbacks.
Auburn Tigers freshman quarterback Hank Brown threw three interceptions and was replaced by senior starter Payton Thorne during a disappointing 24-14 home loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday, highlighting struggles on offense.
For Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman, this victory was crucial to improve to 3-1 for the season and temporarily ease the pressure surrounding his job. Meanwhile, Auburn’s performance only deepened concerns about the team’s roster, particularly regarding the quarterback position.
Despite the disheartening outcome in front of a sold-out crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn coach Hugh Freeze made a surprising statement during his weekly coach’s show, Tiger Talk, as he reflected on Arkansas as an opponent.
“I mean no disrespect to Arkansas or Cal,” Freeze stated. “I have great respect for Sam Pittman and hope he wins the rest of his games, but the hard truth is that if we faced them nine more times, we’d win each time. That’s tough to accept.”
“And I’m sure it’s hard for our fans, and it’s definitely difficult for us.”
Hugh Freeze: “I love Sam Pittman and I hope he wins the rest of his games, but I'm telling you the hard truth is we play [Arkansas] nine more times, we'd beat them nine times. And that’s what's hard to take.”
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) September 24, 2024
It’s looking increasingly unlikely that Auburn will make it to a bowl game in Hugh Freeze’s second season. The team is currently 2-2 and will face No. 21 Oklahoma this weekend, followed by challenging road games against No. 2 Georgia and No. 11 Missouri. Late in November, they will also take on No. 24 Texas A&M and No. 4 Alabama.
With five ranked opponents still to play, in addition to matches against Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and UL Monroe, the path ahead for the Tigers is tough. In the SEC, coaches typically don’t have the luxury of time, so Freeze will need to find solutions quickly to turn the season around.