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Hugh Freeze emphasizes difficulty of playing in Death Valley ahead of Week 7 clash with LSU
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Anyone who has played there will tell you that Death Valley is one of the hardest venues to play in all of college football.
Hugh Freeze knows that well.
In his time at Auburn, Freeze went 0-3 against LSU in Death Valley. On Saturday, Freeze will make his return to Death Valley and take on the difficult tasks of playing the Tigers in front of some of the most passionate fans in college football.
During the SEC coaches teleconference Wednesday, Freeze recalled playing in Death Valley and broke down what makes the stadium so special.
“We had 2 shots of winning there, one was a whipping. We didn’t get it done,” Freeze said. “It’s a difficult place to play, obviously they always have some of the best talent in the country. It’s probably because my first experience was being the head coach at Ole Miss, or an assistant at Ole Miss, and listening to the stories of that rivalry. Whether it’s Johnny Vaught, or former players that had played it, that was a pretty big rivalry for me when I first got in this conference. So I guess that’s probably why going there and competing has always felt very important. Not that other places don’t.”
But Freeze has also made his way into Death Valley for some non-football events. He explained that he’s visited Death Valley for concerts from country legend Garth Brooks.
“And I like Garth Brooks. I guess that plays a part of it also,” Freeze said. “He puts on a great show, I think he has a unique ability to make everybody in the audience feel like he honors you. Which I think is a very attractive quality in people. Bruce Pearl has that same quality. Just makes you feel honored by him, and I think Garth, and Eric Church and some guys like that have always given me that impression, is why I like them.”
Auburn and LSU will kickoff at 7 p.m. Saturday night.
