Auburn fans praise Ashton Daniels, mock Hugh Freeze over first half vs. Vandy
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In just the first half of his second start for Auburn on Saturday, Ashton Daniels completed 14 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown.
Jackson Arnold, the previous starter who was recently benched for Daniels, had fewer than 177 passing yards in 6 of his 9 appearances this season.
Daniels also had 53 rushing yards and a touchdown in a first half that was dominated by Auburn on Saturday. The Tigers, playing their first game since firing coach Hugh Freeze, led No. 16 Vanderbilt 20-10 at the break.
Daniels also had a 51-yard rushing touchdown that was taken off the board because of a holding penalty. Auburn still managed to cap that drive with a touchdown — part of a string of 4 straight possessions to begin the game that ended with points.
For weeks, Auburn’s offense was an anchor weighing the team down. The Tigers went into Week 11 ranked 103rd nationally in scoring. South Carolina was the only team in the SEC that was worse on a per-play basis than Auburn, which went into the weekend averaging 4.9 yards per play.
Auburn averaged 7.7 yards per play in the first half against Vandy.
Was Freeze tanking the offense? Did he just pick the wrong quarterback? Auburn fans were scratching their heads on Saturday while watching an actually-functional attack. Of course, that bewilderment turned to social media barbs and jokes.
Arnold caught some of it. Freeze caught most of it.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
