Every Tuesday we present “The Auburn Corner,” where we’ll get into a different topic on the Auburn Tigers, break down the previous game, preview the upcoming game, and everything in between.
Things are not good in Auburn right now. Following two losses in the last three games, which just so happen to be the only two actual opponents the Auburn Tigers have played so far this season, Auburn is 0-1 in SEC play and sitting at just 2-2 on the season while also having yet to play a road game.
Perhaps most concerning, however, is the team’s quarterback play and how their head coach has reacted to it.
Payton Thorne was benched following a four interception performance in the loss to California in favor of Hank Brown, who after a solid showing against New Mexico was benched himself at halftime against Arkansas in the wake of three first half picks.
The result was yet another embarrassing home loss, and if his press conferences are any indication, Hugh Freeze is fed up. Saying ridiculous things like ‘Auburn would beat Arkansas nine times in a row if they played the game nine more times’ and seemingly throwing his quarterbacks under the bus — things are not moving in a good direction.
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The Tigers have turned the ball over a ridiculous ten times across the two losses, and sure, a lion’s share of the blame falls on the quarterbacks, but this is the roster that Freeze chose to go into the season with. Freeze hand-picked Thorne out of the portal last year and brought Hank Brown with him from Liberty when he arrived.
It’s not unfair to say that if he knew it was this bad, he should have addressed it further in the offseason. But Freeze has made his bed and now he must sleep in it. The truth of the matter is that due to good grace he has earned on the recruiting trail, Freeze will almost certainly keep his job into next season no matter what happens. Headed into next year, however, that good grace will no longer exist.
Things are ugly on The Plains right now, and they are likely going to get uglier as the season goes on. Desperate for a victory, the Tigers will host a struggling Oklahoma team this week at Jordan-Hare Stadium before the schedule gets even harder.
A win would go a long way towards calming things down and allow fans to see at least a light at the end of the tunnel of bad quarterback play. A loss drops the Tigers to 2-3 and all but seals the fact that this will be a lost season once again for Hugh Freeze and Auburn.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.
