Hugh Freeze knows what Jordan-Hare Stadium means in the Iron Bowl. He needs it to send the decibel meters off the charts when Alabama has the ball Saturday afternoon.

Freeze was on “SEC Nation” Saturday morning to discuss the Iron Bowl, and he shared that former Auburn coach Gus Malzahn called him this week to offer some support ahead of the Alabama game.

“Just wanted to explain to me, no matter what has happened to this point in the season, that place will be different than any rivalry game you’ve ever experienced and he just called to encourage me and told me to enjoy it and get excited about the opportunity,” Freeze said.

Tim Tebow asked Freeze how he gets the Tigers to believe they can win, and Freeze said it starts with the coaches and the players “following our confidence.”

“I think David beat Goliath not because he was the underdog, but because he believed he belonged on the battlefield,” Freeze said. “That’s the way it starts is us believing that.”

Freeze said the key for QB Payton Thorne is balance, but that Thorne will have to fit some balls in tight windows, and avoid 3rd down and long.

Asked by Tebow what he needs from the fans and Jordan-Hare Stadium, and that’s being “the most difficult place to play, and them creating about 5 false starts would be helpful.”