Alabama News Center 2023 football preview: Auburn University
Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze takes his 2-1 Tigers into their first SEC matchup of the season against Arkansas on Saturday. (Zach Bland / Auburn Tigers)
The great reveal is coming Saturday on the Plains. Perhaps better stated, the reveal begins Saturday.
The Hugh Freeze era of Auburn football will be unveiled at 2:30 p.m. when the Tigers host UMass to open the 2023 season. That’s when the first indication will come as to just what Auburn will be.
“Obviously a lot of work goes into getting to this point,” Freeze said this week. “But when you finally know that this Saturday will be real, it’s that time that we’ve got to find out what the reveal party shows of who we are.
“This is exciting,” he continued. “I think our kids are ready. I think our staff’s ready and excited about getting into a normal week and really excited about my first experience running out in Jordan-Hare Stadium.”
Freeze said recently that Auburn’s running game looked good in recent scrimmages. But was that because the Tiger running attack is good, or that the Auburn run defense isn’t good?
“I honestly don’t know — we’ll find out on Saturday,” Freeze said. “Are we an effective running-the-football team against other opponents, or has our defense made us look that good? When you start game planning and you figure out what we’re going to try to do, hopefully we’ll be in the right spots and then play well on both sides. That’s the hope.”
Spectators at Saturday’s game will likely need a program to recognize their home team. Freeze was very active recruiting after taking the Auburn job. He focused both on high school players and college players who were in the transfer portal.
The Tigers welcome 20-plus transfers. Freeze will thus be tasked with putting those new and old pieces together to create a successful unit.
“We’re gonna play all those pieces that have earned the right to have that opportunity,” the coach said. “What they do with that opportunity will determine how big of a piece of the puzzle they are. It’s pretty simple.
“If they go out there and they rush for 150 yards, they’re probably gonna get some more carries,” he continued. “If you go out there and you complete a high percentage of your passes, you’re probably gonna get more opportunities. That’s the same thing with every position that will grade out. I’ll get the grades Sunday and the guys that did really well will continue to get those opportunities.”
Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne won the competition to be under center as Auburn begins the 2023 season. Freeze said his signal-caller is a ravenous student of the game.
“He’s got an advantage because he’s in grad school and he has a lot of time,” the coach said. “It’s important to him and he’s constantly studying.
“I sure hope that translates into his decision-making come Saturday now that we’re not just running stuff against the defense that we don’t really know what they’re doing,” he said. “Now you honestly get the game plan and say, ‘Payton, I would expect you to see this’ and get it right. He takes great pride in that.”
Running back coach Cadillac Williams has said that Auburn has the deepest crew of running backs he’s seen since he returned to the Plains. Freeze agrees.
“The facts are if you’re able to run the ball, you can shorten the game. I think that may be advantageous to us this year,” Freeze said. “Are we good enough in the O-line, tight ends and running back rooms to do that in a league that has tremendous defensive linemen? I don’t know yet. But I do think that our running back room is very solid, top to bottom, and we’re gonna lean on them heavily.”
Alabama News Center is posting season previews for all 16 college football programs in Alabama. Read previews for Birmingham-Southern College, the University of West Alabama, Jacksonville State University, the University of North Alabama, the University of South Alabama, Tuskegee University, UAB, Huntingdon College, Faulkner University, Alabama A&M University, Alabama State University, Samford University, Miles College and Troy University. Look for the University of Alabama football preview on Friday.
