“From Chaos to Confidence: Hugh Freeze’s Vision for Auburn’s Defense” Here We Go

Auburn experienced what was arguably its weakest defensive outing of the season against New Mexico, surrendering a season-high 448 total yards.

New Mexico’s attack was fairly balanced, racking up 291 yards through the air and 157 on the ground. Quarterback Devon Dampier posed significant challenges for the defense with his mobility, a trait that Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green could exploit in Auburn’s upcoming game.

“We struggled with tackling, and I didn’t feel our effort was up to par. Hopefully, this serves as a valuable lesson for us,” Hugh Freeze commented on Auburn’s defensive display.

Even with an 0-2 record, Auburn wasn’t the only Power 5 team New Mexico posed problems for; the Lobos scored 39 points in their Week 1 loss to Arizona and had a bye week to prepare for Auburn afterward.

Freeze noted that while New Mexico benefitted from their additional prep time, most of the blame lay with Auburn’s execution.

“We did manage to create two turnovers, but we appeared chaotic and uncertain,” Freeze explained.

This disarray resulted in several significant plays for New Mexico, both on the ground and in the air. It was the first time this season that Auburn struggled to contain the run, allowing over 150 rushing yards.

While part of the yardage came from New Mexico’s running backs, Dampier also made his mark on the ground. His ability to extend plays with his legs often led to explosive passing opportunities.

Freeze attributed these big plays to a lack of discipline in the secondary.

“Several of those plays were due to the high safety losing their positioning when the quarterback started scrambling. They thought they should abandon their deep responsibility to help out, but that’s not how it works. If you’re deep, you need to stay deep. That happened twice,” Freeze noted.

However, not all performances from Auburn’s safeties were lacking. Freshman safety Kaleb Harris has been a standout in the secondary this season.

Freeze mentioned on Monday that he hadn’t initially planned to offer Harris a scholarship until he saw him practice at Thompson High School. Now, only captain Jerrin Thompson has logged more snaps at safety this season than Harris.

He and freshman corner Jay Crawford received commendation from Freeze on Monday, but the head coach remained unsatisfied with the secondary’s overall performance.

“We still need to improve,” Freeze stated. “I don’t think we’re maintaining great poise back there. Our discipline is lacking, and our eyes are often in the wrong places.”