Freeze praises Auburn’s 3-0 start but warns Tigers must be sharper for Sooners

Brian Schaible

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Freeze praises Auburn’s 3-0 start but warns Tigers must be sharper for Sooners image

Hugh Freeze praised Auburn’s 3-0 start but admitted the Tigers must be sharper after their 31-15 win over South Alabama. “We’ve got to get off the field more on third and long,” Freeze said. “There’s no question we can play better than we did today.” Next week’s trip to Oklahoma will provide the real test.

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze made it clear that Saturday’s victory was about more than just another win. It was about staying on schedule.

“Happy to be 3-0,” Freeze said. “We tied the school record for consecutive sellouts, and we played 13 true or redshirt freshmen today. The goal was to be 3-0 headed into conference play, and our team achieved that.”

The Tigers’ offense set the tone early, scoring on five of their first six possessions. Freeze pointed to the balance that made those drives work. “We had scoring drives on 12 plays, 14 plays, and 16 plays,” he said. “The pocket was clean early on. That gave Jackson the chance to go through his progressions and throw good balls.”

Running back Jeremiah Cobb was another bright spot, topping 100 yards for the second straight week. Freeze had predicted his emergence back in the spring. “A lot of those were tough runs,” he said. “Number one, he took care of the ball very, very well. That’s something we’ve worked on with him a lot. Give coach (Derrick) Nix and coach (Michael) Spurlock a lot of credit for that.”

But Freeze was just as blunt about what needs fixing. “We’ve got to get off the field more on third and long,” he said. “There’s no question we can play better than we did today. And the standard is that we should do that each time out.”

Next week’s road trip to Oklahoma brings added intrigue, with quarterback Jackson Arnold returning to his home state. Freeze acknowledged the emotion but stressed the mission.

"The noise won't bother me at all. What would bother me is what I see on tape that we've got to get prepared for to play a road game in this league, which is always difficult against a really good football team. That's my total focus and finding a plan that gives him a chance...Probably harder for Jackson. Obviously, there's a lot of emotions and stuff, but he's mature and he knows what it takes to win football games.”

For Freeze, the formula is simple: celebrate being unbeaten, then turn the page to the Sooners.

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Brian Schaible

Brian Schaible is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is an award-winning journalist with over 25 years of experience covering college and professional sports. Brian holds a master’s degree in journalism/public relations from Kent State University.