Auburn’s Hugh Freeze Gives Blunt Quote About His QB’s Struggles in Loss to Arkansas

The Tigers had a total of five turnovers during Saturday's loss.

Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze reacts to a play during the game vs. Arkansas. / John Reed-Imagn Images

Auburn quarterbacks Hank Brown and Payton Thorne struggled during the team's 24–14 loss to Arkansas on Saturday, and coach Hugh Freeze did not hold back his thoughts in his post-game press conference.

Brown started the game, but was benched after he threw three interceptions. Thorne stepped in during the second half and eventually put Auburn on the board with two touchdowns. However, he threw one interception in between those touchdowns.

On top of the interceptions, Auburn running back Damari Alston fumbled the ball during the first half. Freeze offered a pretty blunt quote when discussing his offense's performance on Saturday.

“I know that there’s people open and I know that we’re running the football,” Freeze said. “We’ve got to find a guy that won’t throw it to the other team and we’ve got to find running backs that hold on to it. ... The scheme is what most everybody in the country is running, some sort of. But you’ve got to have a good quarterback in whatever system you’re going to choose.”

"I know that there's people open and I know that we're running the football. We've got to find a guy that won't throw it to the other team and we've got to find running backs that hold on to it." - Hugh Freeze after Auburn's turnover-filled loss to Arkansas pic.twitter.com/7CQ4ii7ij9

— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) September 21, 2024

This wasn't the first turnover-filled loss of Auburn's season. Their only other loss, 21–14 to California two weeks ago, included Thorne throwing four interceptions and two fumbles. This loss forced Freeze to bench Thorne from the starting role the past two weeks.

Auburn's offense will have a tough matchup next Saturday vs. No. 15 Oklahoma as the Tigers look to redeem themselves.

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