Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers have been cruising through ever since the start of the season. They crushed Baylor in their 38-24 glamorous season opener feat. Then came a 42-3 victory over Ball State in Week 2. All was going well. But before their South Alabama face-off on September 13, they got hit with a speed breaker. And guess who will be facing the blow of it? Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold. But what’s the mishap that stirred Freeze’s squad? Their running back, Durell Robinson, will be out indefinitely after falling prey to a bad injury.

On September 8, The Barn posted a clip of Freeze’s press conference that pulled the curtain on the uncertainties looming in Auburn’s running back room. The head coach said, “Damari [Alston] will probably be a game-time decision. I know he’s going to try. I mean, he’s trying. He went through all throughs this morning, but, you know, until you put the pads on and take a hit on it or something, I’m not sure exactly how he feels. So he’ll be a game-time decision.” So, Freeze is still uncertain about Damari Alston’s status. That’s when he let the cat out of the bag: “Unfortunately, we lost Durell [Robinson] for a period of time to a freak injury.”

Freeze particularly used “freak”, intending that it was unusual and unexpected. During their win against Ball State, the UConn transfer was cursed by the Injury Gods. In that game, Robinson rushed for a 54-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, his first score in an Auburn uniform. But his celebration was cut short. He will now be joining Alston, who missed the matchup against the Cardinals after suffering a shoulder injury in the season-opening win at Baylor. However, Freeze didn’t offer a timeline for Robinson’s return. 

Here came the details, “He didn’t really know he was hurt after the game. And Sunday morning, he had a collection of blood like I’ve never seen in all my years coaching on his thigh. And they had to kind of rush him to Birmingham to open that up and get the blood off of his leg. And they had to do a pretty good incision on it, so he’s going to be out for a little while.” This leaves Arnold without a dependable running game.

Hugh Freeze might have a QB competition on his hands

A strong run game keeps defenses honest. Without it, defenses can load up on the pass rush and drop extra defenders into coverage. Already, after Auburn’s week 1 game, one of Arnold’s flaws got exposed. His passing. Against Baylor, the quarterback came up with only 11 completions on 17 attempts for 108 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. However, Arnold has evolved as a rushing threat.

16 carries, 137 yards, and 2 touchdowns. That’s when George Wrightster dished out a blunt remark in Arnold’s way. “This is apparently who the kid is, 16 for 137, and two touchdowns, rush, 11 for 17 for 108, no touchdowns, and no picks. This is who Jackson Arnold is, and this is how Auburn is going to have to win football games… He threw the ball only one more time than he ran it. That is something to note about watching Auburn play football. Do not expect a vertical passing attack, no matter how good their weapons are,” stated the former NFL tight end.

No matter how hard Freeze tried to start things afresh with Arnold, the shadows from his Oklahoma days came to haunt him. Last season, the quarterback finished 2024 with 1,421 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions, but racked up 444 yards on the ground.

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The head coach stirred the pot some more. “Auburn HC Hugh Freeze said that true freshman Deuce Knight would be the next man up if the Tigers go with another quarterback after Jackson Arnold on Saturday vs. Ball State,” tweeted Justin Ferguson. It must be a wake-up call for Arnold. It’s now to be seen how the Tigers’ attack faces the schedule with an injured running back room.