It’s safe to assume that Auburn is one of the biggest risers in the SEC (with Vandy). Their roster is deep, and their passing game has been a treat to watch. In their last game against Oklahoma, they were borderline the victors, if it weren’t for bad officiating. The SEC has come out and acknowledged that the touchdown should’ve been wiped off the board. But in the middle of this promising start that Hugh Freeze desperately needed, Auburn has just taken a gut punch at a critical position.

Hugh Freeze just announced on the SEC Coaches Teleconference that senior wideout Horatio Field has broken his foot during Tuesday’s practice. And it’s so bad that it will need surgery, so it’s the end of the season for him.”Unfortunately, he broke his foot; he’ll have to have surgery tomorrow, and that’s a huge loss for us,” Hugh Freeze said.

It’s not just his production that the Tigers will be missing; it’s his leadership, too. Hugh Freeze added, “He was kind of the leader of that receiver room, who knew every position and gave us flexibility to do a lot of things. A difficult loss.” Throughout these four games, Fields has ranked third on the team in terms of production with 12 catches for 106 yards and a score. His steady production mixed with his voice in the locker room will create a gap that won’t be easy to fill in the team.

Feeze continued, “In his absence, the next man up is Perry Thompson.” Perry Thompson is a standout in itself. He is a former top-75 recruit with starting-caliber reps. Freeze also highlighted that he has been at the forefront of depth charts, adding, “It’s his time to show he’s ready and to earn it. … He’ll be the first one to get that opportunity.” Back in April, Thompson garnered rave reviews from the coach, who said, “He’s improved significantly and is starting to show flashes.” And now is exactly the time to turn those flashes into consistent production for Thompson. The production will no doubt be divided among the position group, but Thompson must rise and be vocal, taking on the leadership aspect of Fields.

Now the next few weeks will be a different story. Auburn now faces Texas A&M and then a grind of SEC defenses. Without Fields, the days ahead are going to be rocky. Auburn’s margin shrinks unless Perry Thompson, Eric Singleton Jr., and Cam Coleman collectively keep the chains moving. A win in College Station would put the Tigers right back in the Top-25. But anyway, given how close they were against Oklahoma, we think they’re just one clean quarter short of cracking the Top-25 again. Field’s absence makes it a bit harder, but the story of college football has always been continued by the next man up. 

This mentality even received praise from Texas A&M HC Mike Elko.

Mike Elko’s uneasy respect for Hugh Freeze and Auburn

After a brilliant win at Notre Dame, Texas A&M will hit the SEC grind up and running in the Top 25. The offense is one of the best it has been in years. Mario Craver’s 207-yard performance in South Bend with an 86-yarder and KC Concepcion’s 13 catches for 227 yards are evidence. Moreover, Craver also leads the nation in receiving yards per game. Add in QB Marcel Reed’s vertical talent, and it’s all going as expected for Mike Elko’s boys.

But when Elko was asked about the wideout core of Auburn, he showed the respect you rarely see coaches giving their opponents. He was talking about Cam Coleman and Eric Singleton Jr.’s duo. “Oh God,” he said, before adding, “You’ve heard my story on matchups. I’d rather be playing guys who weren’t big, athletic, fast, and 10.2 in the 100 meters… This is a really, really talented wide receiver [corps].”

Auburn’s weapons are an extraordinary amalgamation of speed and route running. And what more convincing will one need when the opponent coach is acknowledging their skills? But now, they’ve a major responsibility to bear after Field’s departure. But seeing how the duo has been performing, Auburn is going to be just fine.