Hugh Freeze on controversial first-half fumble vs. Georgia: ‘No clue’
Published:
Hugh Freeze had to bite his tongue to avoid saying something that might get him fined.
Nonetheless, the Auburn head coach was demonstrably displeased with the officiating at the end of the first half against No. 10 Georgia on Saturday. A targeting call cost Freeze one of his best defenders, a questionable late hit on the quarterback extended a Georgia scoring drive, and a highly controversial fumble turned what would have been a 17-0 Auburn lead into a 10-3 game at the halftime break.
Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold thought he had broken the plane of the endzone on a third-and-goal run before a Georgia defender punched the ball out with 1:36 to play. The officiating crew disagreed, reviewing the play and ruling it a fumble and a Georgia recovery.
When he was asked about the call before heading to the locker room at the break, Freeze was incredulous.
“I have no clue. I think it’s the w—,” Hugh Freeze said before cutting himself off. “Our kids have played really hard, really well. We should be up more. We dominated the first half.”
Prior to a 12-play, 88-yard drive to end the half with points, Georgia had 3 possessions that produced 20 total yards in 12 plays. Auburn ran more than 7 minutes off the clock on its opening drive. The Tigers took another 5:32 off the clock on their second drive.
On their fourth possession — the one that ended in controversy — the Tigers ran 15 plays and milked nearly 8 minutes of clock just to come away empty.
The Tigers outgained the Bulldogs 237-78 in the half. They had 15 first downs to Georgia’s 8. They had 130 rushing yards to Georgia’s 19.
But Auburn also had 9 penalties for 70 yards and the only turnover of the game.
“Keep playing, man,” Freeze said when he was asked what he’d tell his team in the locker room. “That may be the longest half of football ever. I don’t how many timeouts Georgia got with all the stoppage. I don’t have any clue how that (Arnold run) didn’t break the plane. No clue. We’re due a break maybe, one of these damn times.”
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.
