Hugh Freeze Shouldn't Get a Pass in Auburn's Offensive Debacle

The Auburn Tigers' continued futility on offense begins with head coach Hugh Freeze.

Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze and Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman met after the Razorbacks' 24-14 win. / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers kicked off their 2024 SEC schedule with a disappointing 24-14 loss to Arkansas. With one home game left in their five-in-a-row at Jordan-Hare Stadium to start the season, the onus of responsibility should fall directly on the coaching staff. 

No excuses when talent exists on both sides of the ball. In fact, the discomfort should rest with those in the polo shirts and not the helmet and pads. If coaching malpractice actually became a punishable offense, the entirety of the Auburn braintrust looks culpable. 

The loss dropped the Tigers to 2-2, while the Razorbacks raised their record to 3-1. Between the atrocious quarterback play and lackluster coaching, confusion reigns on the Plains. 

four of the remaining eight teams Auburn has to play this season are inside the top eight of the Team Talent Composite for 2024 (Auburn is 18th)

the other four include a current top-10 team — and a team that's currently tied with that top-10 team

it's only more brutal from here

— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) September 21, 2024

Massive Issue

Regardless of who starts and plays quarterback for the Auburn Tigers in 2024, the team will continue to suffer from ill-advised or poorly thrown passes. After Hank Brown threw the ball better to Arkansas defenders than his own wideouts, Hugh Freeze pulled him, replacing him with former starter Payton Thorne.

Freeze's attempt to take the blame for his quarterback's play came off half-hearted at best.

“(Brown) did not play well in the first half, and missed open guys,” Freeze said of his starting QB. “He threw the ball into coverage. In the red zone again and he double clutches one and floats it over the middle. Obviously we’re not doing a very good job of coaching quarterbacks right now.”

Thorne two-fruitless drives before delivering a respectable drive that led to the Tigers' first points of the day and knotted the game at 7-7. Arkansas drove the field, leading to a touchdown pass that made the game 14-7. In all too-familiar form, Thorne throws another interception, though this wasn't his fault, it keeps happening. Drive killers and momentum destroyers wreck teams in the long run. 

Coaching or QB Play?

To start the second half, Auburn threw seven consecutive passes with a quarterback who was benched for throwing too many interceptions, making his first appearance of the day. That level of predictability hurts not only offensive flow but places undue strain on a defense if those passes do not move the ball into scoring position.

 Now, that does not excuse the wet Nerf-like passes flying from Auburn quarterbacks, but there needs to be a level of balance. While Derrick Nix sports the title of offensive coordinator, Hugh Freeze remains firmly in control of the offensive reins. From a terrible throw to a 68-yard touchdown pass, the maddening inconsistency will ultimately come back to bite Tigers. After the Razorbacks scored to extend the lead, Payton Thorne went into full panic mode and just ran around. 

He's got the arm talent, but the field and pocket awareness are shockingly poor for a 5th-year senior.

Downhill Aggression

With the game hanging the balance, Arkansas decided to run directly into the Auburn defense and not flinch whatsoever. The Razorbacks repeatedly punched the defense in the mouth without a care for scheme or personnel. D.J. Durkin's defense looks absolutely gassed as the visitors from Fayetteville brutalized the Tigers at the line of scrimmage. 

It's understandable. The Razorbacks ran over 80 plays on Saturday.

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman saw the error of his ways and eschewed the pass. Auburn looked powerless to derail the one-dimensional attack. The defense did little to nothing to change offensive coordinator, and Auburn villain, Bobby Petrino's mind. Arkansas ran the football 53 times for 191 yards and two touchdowns. 

Meaning

Payton Thorne reached his ceiling at Auburn. Film and those passes landing in opponents' hands provide testament to that fact. Similarly, Hank Brown completed seven passes and three interceptions in 13-overall attempts. 

Walker White hasn't seen the light of day, so that may tell you all you need to know about the coaching staff's faith in him. The defense looked ill-equipped to handle a dual-threat quarterback. That speaks to the preparation aspect. On both sides of the ball, the Auburn Tigers possess enough talent not to lose games to Cal and now, Arkansas... at home. 

The team recruits well and hits the transfer portal with great success. Yet, that does not prevent them from head-scratching losses.

Those remain the property of the coaching staff.