It went from bad to disaster for Auburn coach Hugh Freeze in his first test of the season.
His Tigers couldn’t block and his Tigers couldn’t tackle.
They couldn’t pass and they couldn’t catch.
They couldn’t scheme and they couldn’t adjust.
Where’s all that money going, anyway? Because so far it looks like Auburn’s NIL collective is trying to float a sinking ship.
Just when it seemed like Auburn was pulling together in the right direction, and the dark clouds over the Loveliest Village were finally beginning to fade, the Cal Golden Bears, those unlikely eaters of hope, bullied their way into Jordan-Hare Stadium and showed the Southern boys how to play football.
I’d call Cal 21, Auburn 14 rock bottom in other seasons,
but this one’s just getting started. That’s either good or bad, depending on your perspective. It’s not time to bury Auburn under dirt and despair, but the shovels are suddenly turning over fresh earth.
“I’m disappointed,” Freeze said. “I was hoping we were further along. I knew this would be a good test for us no matter what anyone said.”
Did he mean his good buddy Nick Saban, who has told everyone for two weeks on ESPN College GameDay that Auburn is the most improved team in the SEC? Saban was wrong, obviously. Vanderbilt is the most improved team in the SEC, and the Commodores play at Auburn later in the season.
The way it’s going on the Plains, Vandy’s going to be favored to win, too.
In vain, I kept waiting for a miracle. Certainly, I kept telling myself, this is not the same Auburn team we watched last season against Cal.
Nope, in the end, this Auburn team was worse.
Sack after sack.
Interception after interception.
When is the nightmare going to end for Auburn?
Cal did not play a great game. That’s the sad part. At no point was I impressed with Cal’s offense or defense. The punter was great. Everyone else? Meh.
Auburn was just so bad that it did everything to help a mediocre team win a game.
Has the game passed Freeze by?
People are going to ask that question. It’s fair to be concerned at this point. Last season, I gave Freeze a complete pass. It’s like he didn’t even care about the results on the field. That was my impression.
Now?
Maybe this new era of college football just isn’t for him. Saban quit. I’m convinced that Dabo is quiet quitting. Maybe Freeze’s days are numbered, too.
And it’s not just the turnovers. How is this team going to even score against Georgia?
Freeze is a good coach. I still think that and I’m still convinced that Freeze is going to turn things around at Auburn. But it’s weary work hoping for miracles every season and week to week. At some point, Freeze needs to start winning games.
I’m reaching here, but maybe Auburn’s young team got caught up in its win against Alabama A&M. Remember when Saban’s teams would clobber some overmatched opponent to begin the season and then, like clockwork, Saban would deliver one of his signature rants after the game. It’s not that Saban was necessarily insane. It always felt more like a show. Like Saban just wanted to keep everyone on edge.
Maybe Saban can rant about Auburn next week and the Tigers will show up against New Mexico.
Here’s the bottom line for Auburn at the beginning of Freeze’s second season. For whatever reason, it doesn’t seem like quarterback Payton Thorne has gotten any better. In fact, it seems like maybe he’s somehow worse. Now, is that an indictment on Freeze or is it something else?
I’m not sure how to make this any clearer. In today’s modern game of college football, the teams that spend money on quarterbacks are going to be the teams that win a lot of games.
As it turns out, Auburn does not look like one of those teams after losing to Cal.
Cal, the team kicked to the curb after the football schools from the Pac-12 left for the Big Ten.
Cal, which had two first downs last week against UC Davis.
Cal, which lost to Auburn 14-10 last season.
Cal, which plays football in Berkeley.
Cal, which is now apparently one of the two or three best teams in the entire Atlantic Coast Conference.
Auburn?
Maybe Freeze should have picked up that quarterback from New Mexico State. He’s at Vanderbilt, by the way, so Diego Pavia will be back for an encore. By that point, we’ll know if Freeze is still serious about coaching football.
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