Auburn Tigers Head Coach Hugh Freeze Struggles in Return to LSU’s Tiger Stadium
Saturday night proved to be another disappointing outing for Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze as he returned to LSU’s Tiger Stadium wearing the opposite colors. Freeze, who previously coached Ole Miss from 2012 to 2016, had previously gone winless in three games at Tiger Stadium. That losing streak extended to four games after a 48-18 loss to the 22nd-ranked LSU Tigers.
The game was a record-breaking one for Auburn, but not in a positive way. It marked the most points ever allowed by the Tigers in a game against LSU. Freeze, in his first year as head coach of Auburn, is also winless in the SEC and has yet to see his team put together a decent performance on the road.
One of the biggest takeaways from the game was Auburn’s continued struggles on the road. The team has failed to put together a complete game away from home all season. Their performance at LSU’s Tiger Stadium mirrored their previous road games, as they got off to a slow start and struggled to gain momentum.
Auburn’s offense got off to a rough start with a false start penalty on their first offensive snap. They were forced to burn a timeout and nearly turned the ball over on the subsequent play. The offense struggled to gain any yards on their first two possessions and was forced to punt twice. In contrast, LSU’s offense had no trouble moving the ball down the field and scoring points.
LSU’s quarterback Jayden Daniels put on a stellar performance, as Freeze had predicted. He used his legs to tally 93 rushing yards and extended plays to make throws downfield. Daniels finished the game with 325 passing yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. LSU’s offense was firing on all cylinders, with receivers like Malik Nabors stepping up and running back Logan Diggs making plays on the ground.
Another notable aspect of the game was Auburn’s continued use of a quarterback rotation. Despite the previous game against Georgia where one quarterback took the majority of snaps, both Payton Thorne and Robby Ashford shared duties under center against LSU. Thorne was the starter, but Ashford saw significant playing time, especially in the red zone. The two quarterbacks combined for 154 passing yards and a touchdown.
Overall, it was a disappointing night for Auburn and head coach Hugh Freeze. They will need to regroup and find a way to put together a complete game on the road if they hope to turn their season around.