AUBURN, AL (EETV)- Following a “much-needed” bye week, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze took to the stand Monday to address the media ahead of the Tigers’ matchup against the 19th-ranked Missouri Tigers.
Coach Freeze opened his conference by admitting to the disappointment he feels in his squad’s record thus far, though Freeze did say he has been using the Tigers’ four losses to make changes– his goal: consistency in all three phases of the game.
Despite only being able to hold three practices this past week due to Auburn's fall break– a lifting and conditioning workout on Monday followed by traditional practices on Tuesday and Wednesday– Coach Freeze stated he felt “really pleased” with his team’s performance in these practices, stating they “attacked extremely well” and were incredibly “energetic.”
Coach emphasized self-scouting as an incredibly important aspect of bye weeks, and he took this particular bye as no exception. Freeze stated that he felt the scouting was “as good as it’s ever been,” stating that despite QB Payton Thorne’s struggles “at times,” he feels Thorne has become a “really consistent” player that the team will be able to lean on in its upcoming matchups.
The media was abuzz about a questionable play late in the Georgia game, in which Freeze stated Thorne changed the play call in the huddle, leading to a turnover on downs. On the topic, Freeze had this to say:
“I don’t read the media. I don’t listen. I don’t have social media anymore. I’m very transparent and will tell you exactly the truth of what happened. Payton (Thorne) thought he needed to change the alignment of the back to handle an edge guy. Some of that may have been based on him asking an offensive lineman. Again, we have to do a better job coaching. That shouldn’t have happened… If you go watch the film, if we leave our alignment like it’s supposed to be and we hand the ball off, Jarquez (Hunter) is running on a DB for an easy first down. I understand his thinking there, they just unfolded a linebacker on the backside, so obviously we didn’t coach it well enough for him...”
An ever-popular topic as it refers to this Auburn team is the overall youth of the team, many of which are experiencing their very first college bye week. Freeze stated he didn’t feel the team’s two bye weeks could “[fall] at better times,” especially for the freshmen who have played six weeks straight alongside the pressure and stress that comes with being a brand-new college student.
Freeze praised his offensive line’s ability to protect the run, though he did mention that pass protection “has been dicey… not at every position, but it doesn’t matter, we are a team.” Coach cited Izavion “Too Tall” Miller’s injury forcing Dillon Wade to play some of both tackles, which led to a lot of the line being “shuffled around.”
Naturally, these changes come with growing pains, especially since Kirby Smart and Georgia studied their pass protection from the Oklahoma game and were able to identify weaknesses that Coach Freeze has been working hard to eliminate.
Coach drew a lot of attention to improving execution and consistency in his presser. Without revealing too much, Freeze stated that the Tigers already “have most of the game plan in because we obviously started last week,” so the team will have plenty of time to rep execution to perfection. Freeze boldly claimed that the staff will be “demanding [consistency] in practice… I don’t think you can get [consitent] if you don’t demand it consistently in practice.”
Freeze noted the Missouri skill players (WRs, RBs, etc.) as “the best we’ve faced yet,” admitting that the matchup between the high-flying Missouri offense and the young Auburn secondary is “not one that you just get overjoyed about… [Missouri] has veteran guys that have proven to be some of the best in the league… I’m sure our kids will excited for the challenge.”
Finally, Coach spoke on his relationship with Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz, describing it as a “genuine, real friendship, not just a professional [one].”
Coach Freeze and the 2-4 Tigers look to capitalize on some much-needed rest and perfect execution ahead of their 11 A.M. CT matchup against 19th-ranked Missouri.
