Hugh Freeze says he 'didn't sleep at all' ahead of tough Vanderbilt game
Auburn picked up its first SEC win under Hugh Freeze last week, and the Tigers built off that and beat Vanderbilt on Saturday, 31-15.
The ground game was huge for the Tigers, as Jarquez Hunter rushed the ball 19 times for 183 yards and 2 touchdowns. With the win, the Tigers are now 5-4, and only one game away from being bowl eligible.
After the game, coach Huge Freeze talked about his running back’s performance, while also talking about how penalties and mistakes made the game closer than it should have been.
Auburn HC Hugh Freeze: "Look, it's been a long time since Auburn played well up here."
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) November 4, 2023
Auburn HC Hugh Freeze on the defense: "Marcus Harris and Keionte Scott and those guys, it's personal to them that they play well and they hold each other to that standard."
Freeze said Harris told him after Vanderbilt's touchdown drive "that won't happen again"
it didn't
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) November 4, 2023
Hugh Freeze says he didn't sleep at all last night because of this matchup: "All I see is them playing Georgia and Missouri here, and those games were dogfights all the way into the third quarter. (Vanderbilt) had my full attention, I promise you."
— Nathan King (@NathanKing247) November 4, 2023
Hugh Freeze loved Jarquez Hunter's patience today, saying, "I said, 'Cadillac, that's as patient as I've seen him on that inside zone."
— Justin Hokanson (@_JHokanson) November 4, 2023
Hugh Freeze says "without the penalties and the drops, the game is out of hand."
He's right. Auburn's self-inflicted wounds made this game closer than it should have been.
— Justin Hokanson (@_JHokanson) November 4, 2023
It has been an up and down year for the Tigers in Freeze’s first year, but making a bowl game would be a step in the right direction. Auburn won its first 3 games of the year, but lost 4 consecutive games to start SEC play. The Tigers were very competitive against No. 2 Georgia and No. 10 Ole Miss, losing both games by one touchdown.
Up next for Auburn is a game against an Arkansas team that ended a 6-game losing streak as the Razorbacks beat Florida 39-36. Last year when these teams played, Arkansas won 41-27 at Auburn.
Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET and the game will be aired on the SEC Network.
