Auburn fans finally were able to see how a Hugh Freeze team looked on Saturday. The Tigers opened the year against UMass at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Hugh Freeze era at Auburn started with a win in the season opener. The Tigers took care of business and beat the Minutemen 52-7.

Here are some of the takeaways from Freeze’s first win for Auburn:

Auburn needs to utilize Robby Ashford more on offense:

Robby Ashford found the endzone not once, but three times before the final whistle. The quarterback wasn’t able to showcase his arm very much, but his legs were the star of the show. Ashford transferred to Auburn from Oregon last season and is showing how useful he can be.

Jeremiah Cobb may be a reliable option at RB:

Jeremiah Cobb scored on an electric 42-yard TD run in the third quarter. While there were plenty of people who toted the rock for Auburn on Saturday, Cobb led all of them in rushing yards. There looks to be some depth forming at the running back position for the Tigers. Is Cobb the one who will separate himself from the rest?

Payton Thorne and Jay Fair could be a connection fans hear all season:

Payton Thorne and Jay Fair connected with each other multiple times in the win on Saturday. Thorne and Fair actually scored their first touchdowns as Auburn Tigers in the game.

Fair led all wideouts in receiving yards and also had a touchdown reception on the day. Thorne looked very comfortable behind the offensive line as glimpses of the player he was at Michigan State a couple seasons ago started to come out.

There were a lot of questions heading into the 2023 season for Auburn. While it’s still very early in the year, there were some promising signs from the Tigers under Freeze.